The Bet
by fuzzyfirebunny
Summary: Lily makes a bet with James that she can resist him even after 7 dates, she'll still be immune to his charm. Dun dun dun! LJ, of course, and maybe some other pairings. R&R please! COMPLETE! Finally...
1. You Drive Me Crazy!

**Disclaimer: YES I OWN HARRY POTTER!! Not.**

**Enjoy the story!**

"Oi, Evans!"

For the fifth time that day, Lily turned to see a tall, black-haired boy behind her. He had roguish hazel eyes and messy black hair, which he rumpled at every opportunity.

"Get lost, James," Lily replied exasperatedly, before he even had a chance to speak.

"Hey!" James clutched his heart in mock pain. "That hurts, Evans!"

"Good," Lily retorted. "Maybe it'll deflate your giant head."

"If you'll go out with me, I'll deflate it all you want," James offered, his eyes sparkling.

Lily paused, turned around, and put her hands on her hips. "Hmmm, let's see, Potter…NO." With that, she turned on her heels and headed for the castle as fast as she could.

"Bummer, Prongsie," his best mate, Sirius Black said, coming up and clapping James on the shoulder.

James shrugged, hoisting his bag further up his shoulder. "She'll get it one day, Padfoot," he said, talking more to himself than to Sirius.

Remus came up behind them, saw James, and groaned. "Again, James? Five times in one day!"

Sirius smirked. "Maybe he should try complimenting her."

Remus raised his hands in defeat. "I give up." He walked away, still shaking his head.

"So what do you say, Prongsie?" Sirius asked cheerfully, turning to James. "You want help from the hottest, sexiest, most desired guy in the school on how to catch the girl of your dreams?"

James snorted. "That would be me, Padfoot."

Sirius tapped his friend on the head. "Now, now, James. We know you're delusional, but it can't be that bad."

James laughed. "Okay, Sirius. I'll give it a try. What's your plan?"

Sirius' eyes sparkled. "I call it: Plan #51. Compliment-girls-while-stalking-them-incessantly-until-they-finally-crumble-and-give-in-to-your-amazing-looks-and-wit."

"I thought that's what I did already," James grumbled, heading into the castle.

"Not the right way, mate," Sirius informed him, grinning. "Not _my _way."

Lily was sitting in her dormitories, mulling over the thing she least wanted to mull over: James Potter. He had been endlessly pursuing her the past six years at Hogwarts, and now she wondered why. Why did he chase after her and no one else?

"Thinking about a handsome dreamy guy with black hair and hazel eyes?" Lily's best friend, Emmeline Vance, came in. Emma, as she was nicknamed, was a tomboyish girl with a huge sense of humor and fun.

"More like, thinking about a retarded git who has an empty space for a brain," Lily retorted, falling back on her pillow.

"Aha!" Emma turned and grinned at her friend. "So you _were _thinking about James Potter."

"I didn't say that!" Lily sat up straight and glared.

"Sure you did," Emma replied easily, sitting down on the bed next to her. "The way I figure it, only two guys qualify in that description: James Potter and Sirius Black."

A half-smile formed on Lily's lips. "How do you know I wasn't thinking about Sirius?"

"Simple," Emma replied, flipping through her Arithmancy textbook. "Sirius helped you escape from Professor Trelawney's Divination class just yesterday, so you can't be mad at him yet."

"Good point," Lily lay back again. "He just drives me crazy, Emma!"

"Crazy with longing," Emma teased, taking out her quill and beginning to write.

Lily growled. "If looks could kill, you'd be dead right now."

"Come on, I'm just teasing," Emma answered, ruffling Lily's hair playfully. "Look, James Potter is kind of cute, if I do say so myself. You could give him a chance, you know."

Lily rolled her eyes. "I tried that in second year, remember, Emma? He dumped a pot of Mandrakes on my head!"

"He was younger then," Emma said absently. "Maybe he's changed."

Lily shook her head resolutely. "You just keep on telling yourself that."

**A/N: So I know this chappie was a little short, but they do get longer I promise. I have the first 6 chapters written already. Review and I'll update faster!! Go go go click that button!!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	2. Girls Love Compliments!

**Disclaimer #2: The "compliments" in this chappie are not mine, they're from the story "No! No! No sigh fine!" Other than that, everything is my original idea (minus the stuff you recognize from HP...holy crap that doesn't leave a lot, does it? Lol) **

**Special thanks to LiiGn3r for being the first reviewer and boosting my self esteem! YAY!! Have fun reading!**

It was day one of James and Sirius' master plan. Down at the Great Hall, James looked doubtfully at the list Sirius had given him. Remus was determinedly looking away and eating his breakfast.

"You sure about this?" James demanded. "Last time I agreed to follow one of your plans, Lily ended up with a dozen screaming Mandrakes all over her."

"Hey, that wasn't my fault," Sirius said, raising up his hands. "I didn't know that the pot you hid the chocolate frogs in had Mandrakes—you should've checked first."

"I would've," James fumed, "but you told me that _you _already had!"

"Well," Sirius laughed sheepishly, backing away, "that'll teach you to listen to me again!" Noticing James' angry look, he grinned and rubbed his hands together. "Don't worry, Prongsie. If you can read, this plan is one hundred percent foolproof."

"It better be," James threatened, looking at the paper once again, "or I'll ensure that you'll never, ever have children."

Remus choked on a bite of sausage. "James, did you just threaten to castrate Sirius?"

"Yep," James nodded. Clutching the paper tightly, he wove his way away from his fellow Marauders to set his plan into action.

Remus took a drink of pumpkin juice. "You'd better watch out, Sirius. I don't think he's kidding."

Sirius shrugged guiltily. "Normally I'd say that that was impossible, but in light of the fact that he still hasn't forgotten that Mandrake incident in second year, you might be right."

"Oh, Lily," James called, coming over to her table. He grinned a hello at Emma. For some reason that Lily still couldn't understand, James got along very well with Emma, while Emma and Sirius were always shouting at one another.

"What do you want?" Lily asked none-too-politely.

"Good morning to you too, Lilyflower," James replied. He glanced down at his paper. "You are the iridescent sunshine that lights up every one of my days."

"Yeah, well, your face makes even the brightest sun turn away."

"Did it hurt when you fell down from heaven? Because I see an angel standing in front of me."

"Did it hurt when your mother dropped you on your head? Because I see some major inflammation."

"Is there something in your eye, love? Oh, it's just a sparkle."

"Is there something on your neck, idiot? Oh, it's just your big head."

"Are you tired? Because you've been running through my mind all day."

"Does your head hurt? Cause it's been overexerting itself trying to be human," Lily replied sarcastically.

"If beauty were time, you'd be eternity."

""Well, if that were true…I'd sign you up for an _emergency_ head deflation, cause you'd only be half of a fourth of a millisecond."

James looked confused. "Wait…huh?"

"Oh, never mind."

James shrugged and continued. "I tried so hard to watch my step, but I fell for you anyway."

"No, I think you just fell because you tripped over your abnormally large ego."

"Hey!" James cried indignantly. "I do not have an abnormally large ego! Aside from the fact that I'm the Quidditch star, and the hot guy that girls fall for, and…"

"I rest my case," Lily replied.

James glared, but then remembered to go on. He cleared his throat. "Ah, Lily, my angel, where have you been all my life?"

"Hiding from you."

"Haven't I seen you someplace before?"

"Yes, that's why I don't go there anymore."

"Hey Lily—tonight, you wanna go to your place or mine?" James asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Both: you go to yours, and I'll go to mine."

"Lilyflower, what's your sign?"

"Do not enter."

"You know, your body is like a temple."

"Sorry, no services today. Or ever."

"I would go to the end of the world for you, my love."

"But would you stay there?"

"Have you always been this cute, or did you have to work at it?"

Lily rolled her eyes. ""Alright, Potter, you've got me. In truth, I'm actually an ugly, man eating troll with fungus growing everywhere."

James tsked. "Lily, it's what's on the inside that counts….but just to be safe….eat Padfoot first."

He glanced at his paper. "Oops, I forgot the second page!" He blew Lily a fake air-kiss. "I'll be back, my love."

Lily turned and glared at Emma, who was openly laughing her head off. Lily sighed and resumed eating her breakfast. "It's not that funny, you know."

"Are you kidding me?" Emma gasped, in between bouts of laughter. "I wish I had thought to record that or something! That was classic, Lily!"

Lily rolled her eyes, hoping that she could continue eating her breakfast in peace. Five minutes later, though, James showed up again at her table.

"Did you miss me, Lilykins?" he asked sweetly, leaning in to try to kiss her cheek.

Lily slapped him.

"Well, nice to see you again too," James responded cheerfully. He cleared his throat.

"Here we go again," Lily muttered. She set down her fork.

"Did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?" James began, trying to look sincere. (Which was, in his opinion, hard to do when he was reading lines given to him by someone else).

"No, Potter, I believe what you're experiencing is called Hallucinations," Lily answered calmly.

"Is this seat empty, my love?"

"Yes, and this one will be too if you sit down."

"I hope you know CPR, because you take my breath away."

"Yeah, you take my breath away too, Potter. So do us all a favor and take a shower."

"If you were a booger, I'd pick you first."

"That's not exactly a compliment, Potter."

James frowned. "Padfoot!!" He glared Sirius-ward, and then resumed.

"So, are you going to give me your phone number, or am I going to have to stalk you?"

"You already stalk me."

"Evans! I prefer to call it guarding you against possible boyfriends…or GYAPB for short."

"Whatever."

"If I followed you home, would you keep me?"

"Four things. One: no. Two: I would burn my house. Three: I would move. And four: NO."

"You're like a dictionary, you add meaning to my life."

"You, Potter, are like a blank book. There is no meaning to it, and it just annoys you."

"If a million people sat at a million typewriters for a million years, they would never be able to type enough words to describe how beautiful you are," James said, sounding _almost _sincere.

""If a billion people sat at a billion typewriters for a billion years, with a trillion dictionaries, thesauruses, computers, and calculators, they would never be able to sum up how annoying, egotistical, and prideful you are," Lily retorted.

"Why Lily…that was almost a complime-- ….oh wait…never mind."

"I only know of one thing hotter than the sun, you," James said, trying again. He flashed her a grin.

"I only know two things that are worse than you. 1.Two of you. 2. Two of you plus Sirius Black."

"If you weren't here, darling, I'd have to be the hottest person in this place."

("Hey!" yelled Sirius.)

"Aside from Padfoot, that is."

"If you weren't here," answered Lily, "this room would smell a lot better."

"No, no, you've got that wrong," James answered seriously. "If Padfoot weren't here, this room would smell a lot better. As it is, we balance each other out."

Lily almost cracked a smile, but then the bell rang. "Potter, those were seriously lame attempts. Who gave those lines to you?"

"Oh…er…uh…Padfoot," James answered.

Lily rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that morning. "You know what? That explains a lot." She grabbed her bag and headed out of the Great Hall.

**A/N: Yippee yay! I hope you guys liked this chapter, it's one of my faves. Please please please review!!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	3. Snails and A Bet?

**Thank you to all you awesome ppl who have reviewed! You guys are my inspiration, and part of the reason I write!**

"Well, that was a great attempt," Remus told James sarcastically as they sat in Charms that morning. He flicked his wand hopefully. "Apprendio!"

James twirled his snail around in the air. "That's the last time I ever listen to Sirius."

"Wise move," Remus advised, flicking his wand again. His surprised snail flew up into the air. "Yes!"

Sirius ambled over to them and clapped James on the back. "So, Prongsie, how'd it go this morning?"

"About as well as you did in McGonagall's test last week," James told him.

"Aha! I knew it would—hold on, wait," Sirius frowned. "How _did _I do in McGonagall's test last week?"

"A 'T'," Remus informed him.

"'T'" James echoed.

"Troll," confirmed Remus, grinning at Sirius.

"No!" Sirius exclaimed, looking hurt. "And I thought she liked me!"

"Well, a T describes my feelings exactly," said James, glowering at Sirius. "Some lines, mate! They'd only work on some brainless girl covered with zits."

"Well, they've always worked on my previous girlfriends," Sirius said, looking confused.

"That's because," James told him, "your girlfriends _are _brainless."

"Ah, but no zits," Sirius grinned. Then as James' words sank in, he added indignantly, "And that chick from Ravenclaw—Riana Perkins—was third in her year!"

"Maybe that's why she turned you down," Remus said from across the table.

James sighed and made his snail do cartwheels. "Well, that's that, anyways."

"You know, mate," Sirius said thoughtfully. "I could—"

"No," James and Remus said simultaneously.

Sirius retreated, looking grumpy. "Fine then." Muttering something about unappreciative friends, he headed back to finish his argument with Emma.

"So, you have any ideas, Moony?" James asked Remus.

Remus shook his head. "I'm staying out of this."

"Wait—does that mean that you _do _have an idea?" James asked eagerly. "Come on, Moony! What is it?"

"Wait, wait, that's definitely not what I said," Remus protested.

James bounced his snail up and down (rather violently). "I wish she'd just give me a chance, Moony. Just one chance…wait! That's it! A chance!"

Remus looked at James like he'd just lost his mind. "Yeeeees…a chance would be nice…"

"And," James continued, his eyes lighting up, "I know just how to get it!"

"Oh, really?" Remus countered. "And why haven't you thought of this before?"

James patted himself on the back. "Genius takes time, Moony."

"Right," Remus turned back to his snail. "So what is this brilliant plan of yours?"

"A bet!" James said triumphantly.

The whole Charms room went silent, looking at him. James gulped, gave a nervous-sounding little laugh, and glared down at his wand.

"What happened to that Muffliato spell, you dolt?" he hissed to Sirius.

Sirius looked over innocently. "Oh, didn't I tell you? It wears off after half an hour." Then, seeing James looking daggers at him, he added, "You think you got it bad? Listen, when I was snogging Eliza Eastwood, the—"

Unfortunately for Sirius, he never got to finish his sentence, as James promptly hexed him.

"I have to admit," Remus smirked, half an hour later as they headed out of Charms, "a hex that violent was rather an overreaction."

"Yeah, well," James answered crossly, "it was his fault for starting on again about his forty six girlfriends."

"That's fifty six, Prongsie," Sirius called as he walked by. Even covered with purple spots and yellow tentacles, he still managed to give off an air of coolness and confidence.

"So, Prongs, you never really finished elaborating on this genius bet of yours," Remus commented, "or," he added, "how you know Lily will agree to it."

"Oh, she'll agree to it," James answered. "The bet will just be too good for our demure little Lily to resist."

**A/N: Cliffie cliffie cliffie! Please don't hate me. :D A review would be awesome!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	4. Do You Want The Whole School To Hear?

**I can't tell you HOW excited I was when I came back and found over 20 reviews!! EEEEP!!! Thank you to everybody who reviewed, you guys keep me going!**

"Oh, Lily," James called, as he sauntered over to the girls' table that night at dinner.

"No," Lily answered before he even got a chance to speak. "And just to be on the safe side, no, no, no, and no."

"Your ego's getting a little big, Lilykins," James mock scolded. "For your information, I was not coming over here to ask you out."

"You weren't?" Lily asked, feeling surprised.

"No, but that can be arranged if you want," James said, not missing a beat. He flashed his old, roguish grin at her.

"I'll pass, thanks," Lily said, picking up her fork again. "So what did you want?"

_Hey wait, _James realized, _she was just polite to me! _He ticked off the list mentally: _no sarcasm, no slap in the face, no yelling, no anger. WOW!_

"Uh…James?" Emma stared at him. "Are you okay? Earth calling James!"

"Huh?" James shook out of his reverie.

Lily sighed and shook her head. "Get on with it, James. What do you want?"

"Oh, right!" James stood tall and folded his arms. "Okay, Lily. I have a bet for you."

"No," Lily answered immediately.

"Hear me out," James said. "If you win, I promise never to ask you out again—unless of course, you specifically beg me to."

Lily stared up at him. "Really?"

James was tempted to cry, "_Nope, just kidding!" _and run back to his table, but he swallowed hard and nodded. "Yep."

"Okay then, let's hear this bet. What is it?" Lily demanded. "Cause if it's something like Quidditch, your answer's already no."

"Please, Lily," James teased. "I wouldn't dream of challenging you to Quidditch. You can't even fly!"

"Oh really?" Lily said, her eyes shooting sparks. "You assume too much."

James held up his hands. "A gentleman never argues with a lady, ma'am."

Emma snorted. "Yeah…right, James. I, for one, have never seen you argue with Lily."

James glared at her. "Not helping!"

"Not lying!" Emma retorted. James sighed and turned away.

"Anyways," he said, facing Lily and looking her straight in the eye…which turned out to be a mistake, because he was so captivated by her large, emerald eyes that he forgot his train of thought…

Lily, oddly uncomfortable with James' straightforward stare, coughed and said, "Yes?"

"Oh…er…right. The bet," James avoided her gaze and continued, "Well, I get to take you out on fifteen dates, and if, by the end of that time, you haven't fallen for me, I will leave you alone forever."

"Fifteen dates?!?!" Lily yelped. She crossed her arms over her chest. "You must be kidding, Potter."

"Oh, come on, Evans," James said. "Afraid you're going to fall for me?"

Lily scowled at him. "Three."

"Fourteen."

"Five."

"Ten."

"Seven."

"Done," James replied, grinning.

Lily looked startled. "W-wait, what?"

"Seven dates, love," James replied, smirking, and then walked away.

"Whoa, hold on," Emma stared at her friend. "Did you just agree to go on seven dates with James Potter?"

"I think so," Lily said blankly, staring down at her plate, which was beginning to magically clean itself.

Emma whooped. "Lily Evans! That's as good as going steady, you know!"

Lily grabbed Emma's arm and pulled her back down into her seat. "Emma! Do you want the whole school to hear?"

"I think they're about to in a second," Emma said, grinning. She pointed to James, who was standing up on the table.

"Oh, no," Lily moaned, hiding her head in her hands.

"Sonorous!" James said, pointing his wand to his throat. When he spoke, his voice boomed out over the entire Great Hall.

"Ahem, witches and wizards, may I have your attention please," James began, grinning broadly. Even the teachers stopped talking to listen, and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"I would like all of you to know that the beautiful, smart, Lily Evans has just agreed to go on seven dates with me, handsome and intelligent James Potter!"

Lily's eyes were almost shooting sparks. "On a bet, you bigheaded jerk!"

Dumbledore tapped his spoon against his wine glass for silence. Smiling at the two, he said, "Well, sincerest congratulations to you, Mr. Potter."

"Thank you, sir," James responded, giving a low bow.

Lily was red with anger as she sank back into her seat. "You better hope Potter carries around antidotes to jinxing potions," she told Emma hotly, "because some might just…slip into his drink on our first date."

Emma grinned. "I look forward to hearing the report, General Evans."

**A/N: This could lead to all sorts of interesting stuffs, couldn't it? (evil laughter) MWAHAHAHA…well, read and review all you peeps, pleeaase!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	5. Wild Goblins

**A/N: Awwwwww don't you guys love me for a long chappie, at last? Have fun reading! Oh, and thanx to EVERYBODY who reviewed, you guys are awesome!!!!!!**

The next day, Lily was suddenly and thoroughly woken up at six o' clock in the morning. She blinked her eyes blearily to see James Potter shaking her urgently.

Biting back a scream, Lily edged away and pulled the blankets up higher around herself. "What the _hell _are you doing in my dormitory, Potter?"

"Our first date, remember?" James told her smugly, thankfully keeping his voice down to a whisper.

"Now?" Lily hissed. Maybe Potter was under a delusion that some girls thought it was romantic when a guy snuck her room at six o' clock on a Saturday morning, but Lily was not one of those girls. She considered relieving him of that delusion. Painfully.

"Yes, now," James answered. He slid off of her bed. "You have ten minutes to get dressed and meet me down in the Commons room, Evans. Otherwise I'll assume you don't want to come and I'll be back up."

"Wait! I—argh!" James had already left, leaving an extremely angry Lily Evans behind him.

As Lily got dressed, muttering curses underneath her breath, Emma opened one eye sleepily. "Hey, look on the bright side," she pointed out, yawning. "At least he left you alone to dress."

Lily glared at her darkly. "Oh, yes. What a magnificent feat!"

Emma snickered. "No need to get sarcastic, darling." She yawned again. "And by the way, those were some rather imaginative curses you were muttering. Where'd you learn them?"

"You'd be surprised," Lily answered cryptically. Then, looking at her watch, she almost yelped. "It's almost ten minutes! I've got to go!" She rushed out of the dormitory. Emma, now fully awake, grinned and turned over in her bed. She looked forward to an interesting rant from Lily that night.

"So where exactly are we going at six o' clock on a Saturday morning?" Lily demanded, not making an effort to conceal her annoyance.

James looked at her, admiring her fiery red hair and expressive eyes (which were very expressive at this particular moment). "You'll see, Lily."

"Yeah, well—wait," Lily paused. "Did you just call me Lily?"

"Mmm hmm," James said, heading across the castle grounds. "And that, my angel, deserves a tribute in return. You can't call me Potter today—it's James."

Lily fell into step behind him, oddly disconcerted. "Okay, whatever," she sighed. "James. Where are we going?"

James merely smiled and continued walking. After about five minutes, they arrived at the Forbidden Forest.

Lily's eyes grew wide in terror. "The Forbidden Forest?"

"Yep," James laughed. He folded his arms. "Scared, Lily?"

Lily took a deep breath and glared at him with all her might. "You wish, Potter."

Noticing the renewed use of his surname, James decided to keep the teasing to a minimum. "It's James," he said casually, as they walked into the forest. Lily merely scowled.

"There's something in here I want to show you," James said, as they stepped carefully around crumbling logs and ducked sharp branches. "You'll probably be able to get a better view of it than me, though."

Lily frowned at him. "Probably?"

James tried not to laugh. "You are a virgin, right?"

Lily looked taken aback. "What kind of a question is that?"

"An important one," James answered, knowing that he was confusing her and taking great delight in it.

Lily gritted her teeth. "_Yes._"

"Well, that makes it simpler," James murmured to himself. He stopped in the middle of a small clearing and took a small, clear bag out of his pocket, which was filled with light pink liquid. He took a tiny bowl, poured the contents into it, and set it down on the ground.

"Now what?" Lily asked, a little unnerved by how calmly he was handling this.

"Now we wait," James answered, smiling mysteriously. He took a seat on a patch of leaves on the ground and leaned against a tree.

Lily reluctantly sat down next to him. She shivered a little, realizing how cold it was in the Forbidden Forest. James took this opportunity to put a gentle arm around her shoulders, which Lily promptly shrugged away.

After a few minutes, there was a rustle among the trees again. Lily stiffened, and made a move to get up, but James held her down. Sensing no danger, the unicorn stepped out into the clearing and headed towards the pinkish water.

"Crushed rose petals," James explained softly, watching the unicorn. He gave Lily a nudge. "You can get closer if you want," he told her.

Lily looked at him, puzzled. "You can't?"

James smiled. "Lily, Lily," he rebuked. "What are all the tales you've heard about unicorns?"

"Only a maiden can approach them," Lily realized.

"Exactly," James nodded. He grinned at her. "And I'm too manly to be considered a maiden."

For once, Lily didn't retort. Spellbound, she walked towards the shining white unicorn, slowly and gently.

The unicorn looked up at her. Almost as if in a dream, Lily curtsied, and the unicorn threw its mane proudly and nodded.

Its fur was as smooth as silk, as fine as an Invisibility Cloak. The unicorn nuzzled her, then knelt to drink the last of the water, and bounded away into the forest.

"Wow," Lily gasped, still feeling like she was in a daze. She looked at the bushes through which the unicorn had gone.

Suddenly, James leapt up, his eyes growing dark. "Wait here," he told her, getting out his wand.

Lily jumped up as well. "What's wrong?"

"I think…" James shuddered a little and scanned the trees. Lily watched him intently.

James stepped quietly over to the bushes and knelt down. Suddenly, he yelled, aimed his wand, and there was a flash of red light. A high pitched squeal, and then a small, dirty creature with razor sharp nails flew past James and towards Lily.

Lily screamed, ducking behind a tree. James yelled, "Expelliarmus!" and the creature fell to the ground with a thump. Breathing heavily, James stumbled over to Lily, grabbed the creature, and threw it into the woods.

"W-what was that?" Lily demanded, trying to regain her composure.

James wrapped a long leaf around his bleeding arm. "A wild goblin," he answered, muttering healing spells. "Most of them are tame, but I guess there are still a few left in the Forbidden Forest."

"Well, it's called 'Forbidden' for a reason," Lily told him sarcastically. She pulled her jacket tighter around her body. "And, our first date has finished," she informed him. "I'm going back to the castle."

James just looked at her, watching her go. It hadn't exactly been the romantic first date he planned. He considered it. Maybe there was something in the word "Forbidden" after all.

**A/N: You liked this chapter. You liked this book. Show your appreciation by reviewing! (Jeez I sound like a game show host…)**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	6. Alfred the Angry

**A/N: So, the last chapter wasn't exactly my favorite. Sorry to my readers...it wasn't exactly written that well...hopefully this one's better!**

"You took her into the Forbidden Forest?" Remus asked incredulously the next day.

Sirius smirked. "Not exactly one for the traditional dates, Prongsie?" He patted his shoulder in mock sympathy. "Not to worry, mate. I'm the same way."

Remus looked at him. "Your idea of a successful first date is snogging for an hour in a broom closet."

"My point exactly," Sirius grinned, looking proud of himself. Then he frowned. "Wait, Moony. You've got that wrong. My idea of a _successful _first date is snogging for at least two hours in a broom closet."

Remus rolled his eyes and turned back to James, who was looking glum. "Uh, James…you guys didn't get attacked by anything, did you?"

"Well…" James hesitated. "It was going perfectly until the wild goblin came."

Sirius burst out in laughter. "Prongsie, you are so lucky! I've always wanted to take my dates to see wild goblins."

Remus glared at him. "You're not helping, Sirius."

"I need to rub this in," Sirius told him smugly, "my best mate finally gets the girl he's been chasing after for six years, and they meet a wild goblin. Maybe we should invite him back to be the priest at the wedding!" At this, Sirius burst into laughter again at his own "intelligence" and "wit."

Remus sighed. "Silencio," he said, sounding almost bored, pointing his wand at Sirius' throat. Sirius opened his mouth, choked, and glared. Remus took no notice. He'd done this at least fifty times before.

"Are you guys okay?" Remus asked James. "Wild goblins aren't exactly the nicest creatures."

"Yeah, tell me about it," James agreed. "We're fine. I think I have a couple of scratches, but it didn't get to Lily."

"Well, that's good," Remus said. He shook his head. "Who planned your first date?"

"Um…me," James admitted.

Remus clicked his tongue. "I was almost afraid you were going to say Sirius."

"Nope, it was me," James said absently. "Didn't work out so well though, did it?" he added with a sigh.

"Take my advice, James," Remus told him. "Go with a nice, safe, traditional date next time. And not Sirius' idea of traditional, either," he added as an afterthought.

James shuddered. "Lily would have me skinned alive and planted on rusty stakes."

Remus laughed. "I'll talk to her."

"Wait," James paused and stared at his friend. "She talks to you, and not to me? Why?"

Remus shrugged. "We were both prefects for a few years, and she's a really nice girl when she's away from you, that is." Seeing that James was glaring daggers at him, Remus sighed and added, "we're just friends, okay?"

James looked at him suspiciously. "Just friends?"

Remus nodded, looking James straight in the eye. "Yeah."

"Okay," James relaxed. Somehow, he knew Moony was telling the truth. "So what's your idea for date number two?"

"Well, there's a Hogsmeade trip next weekend," Remus said practically. "Why don't you guys go get butterbeers or something?"

James looked at him pointedly. "Moony. We've been going to Hogsmeade for four years now. Most of the seventh years don't even go. I mean, we practically know the whole thing by heart!"

"True," Remus agreed, "but at least it's a safe, traditional date. And who knows? You guys might find stuff to talk about at Madame Rosmerta's."

"Okay," James gave in. "It doesn't sound very exciting to me, but if it wins Lily over, I'll be so grateful I'll name our first child after you." Without waiting for a reply, James walked away to go plan. Remus watched him go.

"Scary thought," Sirius came up behind him.

"What is?" Remus demanded.

"The idea of a child between James Potter and Lily Evans," Sirius said.

"Why is that?" Remus asked, amused.

"Well, the way I figure it," Sirius said, munching on a piece of chocolate, "that poor bloke would inherit Lily's temper, Lily's stubbornness, Lily's genius…and James' emptyheadedness," he added after a pause.

Remus thought about that for a minute. "You're right," he agreed at last, "that _is _a scary thought."

With a simultaneous shudder, both of them headed back to the castle.

"Hey, Lily," James wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively later in the common room that night. "So…are you all ready and perky for date number two?"

Lily grabbed her History of Magic book and pointed to the picture of Alfred the Angry on the inside cover. "See that? That's your answer."

James had to laugh. "Well, you did agree," he reminded her smugly. "So, Hogsmeade this Saturday?"

Lily sighed. "Do I even have a choice?"

"Nope," James informed her, but then softened his tone and looked seriously into her green eyes. "This will be fun, Lily. I promise."

Lily stared back, feeling her pulse pick up as his hazel eyes locked onto hers. "Okay," she whispered, not knowing why she was feeling this way. James blushed and drew back a little.

He cleared his throat. "Till Saturday then, Lily."

"Yeah," Lily shook her head quickly to clear it and turned back to her homework, hoping she had sounded bored and uninterested.

James grinned and turned to go up to his dormitory with a secret smile on his face.

**A/N: Oooh la la! Did you guys like this chappie? I think there'll be one more chappie before the "normal" date at Hogsmeade. Review!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	7. An Eventful Quidditch Match

**A/N: Squeee!!! I'm very excited about the fact that I have fifty reviews yay!!! Thanx to all you guys who reviewed, I 3 you all! **

"Lily, you've _got _to go to tomorrow's Quidditch game!" Emma and Alice, Lily's two best friends, both glared at her simultaneously.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Great. Another opportunity to see Mr.-Big-Head-Potter show off."

Emma sighed. "Lily," she said slowly, as if she were speaking to a toddler, "This is the match where we kill, rampage, pillage, destroy, murder—"

"What she means is," Alice interrupted hastily, "this is the tie-breaker between Gryffindor and Slytherin. How can you not come?"

Lily pointed to Slughorn's assignment, a three-thousand word essay on the uses of bezoar stones.

"Oh, rubbish," Emma said, ignoring Lily's protests and sweeping the parchment off of her desk. "Slughorn fancies you anyways, he won't mind if you don't do it."

Lily turned a bright pink. "He-I…" she spluttered, and then finally settled on a haughty silence.

"You know, Lily, there's a party after the match if we win," Alice chimed in. "You can't very well go if you weren't at the match, though."

"What if we don't win?" Lily grumbled, knowing even as she said it that they probably would. James had been one of the most talented second year Chasers when he started, and now, he was close to professional level.

Emma gave her a look. "Don't be silly, Lils. Besides," she added with a wink and a sly smile, "your boyfriend—sorry, _date_—will be there."

Lily groaned and slammed her Potions book shut. "Will you promise to stop bothering me and behave yourselves if I go?"

"Yes!" Alice said eagerly. She looked at Emma.

Emma hesitated. "Would you clarify 'behaving mys—'"

"Oh for Merlin's sakes!" Alice said, jabbing Emma in the ribs.

"Fine, fine!" Emma said, agreeing but not looking happy in the least. "I'll be a good little witch."

The next evening was cold and rainy. Lily stood in front of her mirror reluctantly, putting on numerous layers of shirts and jackets.

Emma sauntered in, decked out in vibrant gold and red colors. "You ready?" she asked.

Lily took a look at the sheets of rain pouring down outside and sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Oh, don't look so miserable," Alice encouraged, wrapping her Gryffindor scarf snugly around her neck. "It's not like you're going to the gallows or anything."

"No, just to the torture chamber," muttered Lily under her breath, so that her friends wouldn't hear. They made their way through the crowded stands until they found a small open space near the front.

"—Potter's sooooo cute today!" a petite blond girl sitting next to them squealed. She was wearing a layer of tight clothes accented by a close-fitting leather jacket, and her white t-shirt proclaimed in bright red letters, "I LOVE JAMES POTTER!"

Lily turned to glance at them and gritted her teeth. Well, if it wasn't the James Potter Fan Club #27. The girls were all blonds or brunettes, with the same fan club t-shirt, and they were squealing so loud Lily was sure that glass was breaking somewhere. She considered throwing a jinx at them.

"Careful, Lily, or I'll think you're jealous," a teasing voice whispered in her ear.

Lily whipped around, looking up and down. Had she just heard…"James?" she whispered incredulously.

"Yeah, I'm in an Invisibility Cloak," he bragged, and she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

Lily slapped it irritably. "I am _not _jealous," she hissed, turning around. Emma and Alice were giving her strange looks.

"Whatever you say, Lilykins," James whispered, and Lily could detect a hint of laughter in his voice.

"Aren't you supposed to be down in the field?" she demanded quietly. "If you make us lose the House Cup because of your antics, I _will _hex you from now to oblivion."

James gave a small sigh. "Sadly, yes," he said in response to her question. "Wish me luck, Lilypad."

"I will not," she said, pursing her lips and turning away. She heard James' quiet laughter in her ears before he headed back down into the field.

Madame Elliott blew her whistle. "There will be no foul play in this game," she said sternly, and raised her hand. "Begin!"

Immediately, the players rose into the air, noticeably wincing against the lashing rain. James scanned the field carefully, and then took off in pursuit of the Slytherin Chaser.

The rain was one of the fiercest he'd ever encountered. It wasn't just drops of water in his face, it was a like a thousand needles being poked into his entire body over and over again. He cringed.

Gryffindor scored ten points, then twenty, then thirty. James grinned as the wave of red and gold jumped up, cheering ecstatically. He wondered if Lily was among them.

Maybe it was because he was too busy enjoying the adulation, or maybe he was just didn't notice it because of the rain. But by the time James' brain registered the fact that a huge wooden branch was coming towards him, it was too late for even his Quidditch reflexes to relax.

The large, heavy branch hit his ribs with a loud thud, and James felt a blinding pain in his chest. He gasped, trying to breathe, and then realized that he wasn't gripping onto his broom anymore. His legs were straddling it, trying to regain control, but it was no use. He plummeted towards the ground, landing with a crash. Then everything went dark.

**A/N: Oooh I am evil. What will happen next? Dun dun dun…please review, you guys! It would totally make my day!!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	8. Two Can Play That Game

**A/N: Warning! Major fluff ahead! Oh, and now I hope you guys don't hate me too much for the cliffie last chapter. Hee hee!**

"—blimey, I can't believe he's alive," James heard one of his friends—he thought it was Sirius—saying.

"He's a Potter," Remus answered matter-of-factly. "It takes a lot to kill one."

James tried to open his eyes, tried to reassure his friends that he was okay, but his body wouldn't obey his commands. Then he felt a soft, cool hand on his temple and slipped back into a peaceful sleep.

The next time he woke up, James opened his eyes little by little. Slowly, everything came into better focus. It was night, judging from the blackness outside his window, and there was a dim figure sitting at the foot of his bed on a chair.

Who was it? James wondered, trying to sit up but knowing it was no use. He squinted harder, trying to make out the figure.

Lily felt a small movement on the bed and raised her head, rubbing her eyes. It was one o' clock in the morning. She felt a little ridiculous for staying here with Potter, but she knew she wouldn't have been able to sleep in her own dormitory. Better here than there.

"W-who is that?" James croaked out, trying to regain the use of his voice. Lily sat up, startled, and grabbed a cup of water sitting on the nightstand.

"Drink this," she ordered, raising the cup to his lips. James smiled, realizing who it was. He would have known that voice in the middle of a crowded street in any city in the world.

"Couldn't bear to stay away, huh Lily?" he joked, taking a drink of the water.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You're still delusional, so I see there's been no permanent injury."

James couldn't sit up or move his body, but his hand found Lily's and gave it a squeeze. "What happened?" he wanted to know.

Lily shuddered, the thought of what could have happened left her cold. "You know that rainstorm we had the night of the game?" she asked. James nodded.

"It blew off one of the branches of the Whomping Willow," Lily explained, setting the cup back down. "You, being the lucky bloke you are, got hit by it."

James made a face. Now he knew why it had hurt so much. "How long has it been?"

Lily smoothed down his bedcovers unconsciously. "Three days," she answered, trying to ignore the thud of her heart in the darkness. She was sure James could hear it…thump, thump, thump…

"Three days?" he asked incredulously. He grinned. "Hey, does that mean that I don't have to do Slughorn's essay?"

"He'll probably forget about it, yeah," Lily agreed. Her mouth curved upward in a sly smile. "On the other hand, McGonagall asked me to 'kindly inform you that when she assigned that homework to transfigure something into an animal, her desk was not included."

James snorted with laughter. "Blimey, I wish I'd seen that!" he said regretfully. "Was the elephant purple, like I—I mean, Sirius, planned?" he amended hastily.

Lily gave him a look. "Until it sprouted a pink ballerina's outfit, yes."

James tried to muffle his laughter, but failed. Lily sighed and rolled her eyes.

"So," James said, trying to sound casual, "why are you, Lily Evans, here when everyone else is in their dormitory sound asleep?"

Lily blushed. "Uh…I…er…"

A roguish grin spread over James' face. "Admit it, Lily. You were worried about me."

"I was not worried about you!" Lily denied automatically. She flushed. "I was here to make sure you didn't destroy the school in your sleep. Knowing your habits of late-night pranks."

The excuse didn't fool James. "Sure, sure," he said unconvincingly, turning away into his pillow.

Lily crossed her arms. "You might want to remember that I have a wand, and you don't."

"Going to hex me, are you?" James asked. He pushed his blanket down and spread out his arms. "Let's see it, Lily."

Lily was in a momentary shock. The absence of the blanket showed James' bare chest, toned and well muscled from years of Quidditch training. His body was lightly tanned, even though it was already late autumn. Those rippling muscles…those strong biceps…

Get a grip on yourself, Lily! she berated herself, wrenching her eyes away from James' chest. He was like a marble statue, perfectly carved, except this statue was _real_, those muscles were…

Stop it! Lily swallowed and looked at James' face. He was wearing a slight smirk, as though he knew what she was thinking.

Well, two can play this game, Lily thought with a slight smile. She stretched leisurely.

"It's getting so hot in this room," she said casually, slipping off her white jacket to reveal a light blue tube top. Now it was James' turn to stare, openmouthed.

The shirt was a normal, everyday shirt, but it emphasized the slimness of Lily's form, the smooth white skin that practically glowed in the moonlight, the wavy red curls that fell gently down her back. James clenched his hands to stop himself from grabbing her right there and then.

Lily laughed and put her jacket back on. "You should go back to sleep," she suggested, smoothing down a lock of his hair.

He gave her a crooked grin. "Only if you come with me," he answered, moving over a little on the bed to make a space for her.

Lily hesitated, but then laughed. "Potter, you're ridiculous," she said, lying down on the bed next to him. His arm slipped around her shoulders, and Lily felt herself cuddling in closer to his chest. After a few minutes, they both fell asleep.

**A/N: Awwwwwww…what a cute chapter, right? Lol, this was pure fluffiness, so sorry if you didn't like the fluff. Anyways…Hogsmeade date coming up ASAP! This could get interesting…**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	9. No Rat Whiskers

**A/N: YAY! Chapter Nine! This is turning out to be quite a long fanfic. Oh well! Better this than homework…**

"Remember, Prongs," Remus instructed as James got ready for his date with Lily. "The most important thing is to be nice."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah right! The most important thing is to be sexy."

Peter looked up nervously. "Actually, I think the most important thing is to make sure you don't have any rat whiskers left from your transformation."

James, Sirius, and Remus gaped at him.

"Can't beat that," Sirius finally said with a grin, clapping James on the back. "Go get her, Jamesie-poo!"

James rolled his eyes, and chuckled at the sound of Remus throwing a jinx at Sirius as he left.

Lily stood in front of the mirror in her dormitory, looking herself up and down. She couldn't explain to herself why she had spent twenty minutes putting on and then discarding outfits.

Alice came in, saw Lily's dress, and grinned. "James will be speechless," she winked.

Lily glared at her. "I couldn't care less about what that big-headed prat thinks!"

"Actually, I heard him say once he doesn't like that color of blue," Emma chimed in, throwing herself on her bed.

Lily looked at the dress. "Really? I thought it might be too dark. Do you think the sparkles overdo it? I mean—" she then stopped, noticing that Emma and Alice were cracking up.

"Very funny," Lily glowered darkly. She grabbed her purse and headed out of the dorm.

James was waiting for her in the common room. "Hey Lily, can I see your hand?" he asked with a charming smile.

Lily gave him a strange look, but held out her hand, palm up.

James took a Refilling Ink Quill out of his pocket, and drew a river with a bunny standing on one side. "The bunny can't get to the other side because it'll go glub glub glub," he explained.

Lily's strange look got even more skeptical, if that was possible. "James Potter, have you been eating Sirius' spiked chocolate again?"

"No, I just wanted an excuse to hold your hand," James answered, grinning. Lily groaned and withdrew her hand.

"Let's get this over with before I change my mind," she said unenthusiastically. They headed out into the crisp snow.

Madame Rosmerta's Butterbeers were as popular as ever, and James and Lily got two tankards and then headed out, wandering around the tiny magical village. James paused to look longingly at the new Midnight Prankster kit at Zonko's.

Lily stopped and glanced at it, briefly reading the description. "Desert Creator, Darkness Torch, Tickling Powder…good Merlin Potter, is _this _what you do for fun?"

James grinned. "More or less, yeah." He looked away with an effort. "But this is your date, Lily, so we don't have to go to Zonko's."

Lily stood stunned for a minute. Had James Potter, the legendary prankster of all time, just offered to bypass his favorite store for her, Lily Evans? She sighed and folded her arms. "Fine. We'll go, but you have a strict time limit of ten minutes."

James shot into the store like a launching torpedo, glancing at his watch as he went. Lily chuckled and followed him.

She'd never been into Zonko's in all her seven years at Hogwarts, always denouncing it as a raggedy store for rulebreakers. As she looked around, though, Lily had to admit that she was amazed at the variety of things available.

"Oh, James, look at this!" Lily exclaimed, pulling him over to a table full of tiny dancing hamsters. "How cute are they?"

James laughed. "Lily, you don't know what they do, do you?"

Lily hesitated. "Er…they dance?"

James picked one up and pressed his forefinger into the little hamster's soft stomach. The hamster paused for a fraction of a second, then let out a loud belch that resonated through the entire store.

Lily wrinkled her nose. "Now I know where Sirius gets his inspiration from," she commented wryly, replacing the little creature. James laughed.

"So, where do you want to go?" James asked, sneaking a furtive glance at Lily as they walked out of the store.

Lily shrugged. "I dunno, really. I mean, we both know the village in and out."

James nodded, feeling a little awkward. For the first time in his life, he was worried about what he was saying. There were a million phrases rushing through his mind, but his brain mentally discarded most of them as too awkward, stupid, or inappropriate.

Lily drew her jacket tighter around her shoulders. "Let's go to Honeydukes," she suggested, finally breaking the silence. "I want to get something for Emma."

James grinned. "You should buy her some of the Fireball Fantasies."

Lily angled her head, puzzled. "What are those?"

They entered the store, and Lily wandered over to the chocolate and caramel section, stocked full of sweets. James shook his head.

"No, that's too normal for Emma," he decided, leading her over to a different section of the store. He pointed at the sign.

"Crazy Chemical Candy," Lily read, and then laughed. "These aren't poisonous or anything, are they?"

"Well…" James began, and then held up his hands. "Kidding, Lily! Blimey," he added, in response to the glare Lily was giving him.

"Emma does like spicy stuff," Lily mused, grabbing a bag to fill it with Fireball Fantasies.

"Just don't eat three at the same time, not even on a dare," James told her.

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Er…you've actually tried this?"

"Sirius and I did it both at the same time," James informed her, sounding almost proud. "We were both seven, I reckon. My mom threw a fit!"

Lily smiled. "I'll be sure to remind Emma." She opened her mouth to say something more, but suddenly, a loud pitched squealing interrupted her. They both turned in the direction of the sound.

"Oh! My! God!" a group of three or four girls were heading towards James, giggling and squealing as they came closer. "It's James Potter!"

Lily rolled her eyes and turned back to the shelves as James vainly tried to avoid them. "Brought your fan club, did you?" she asked sarcastically, folding the bag up tightly.

"Lily…no, I swear!" James protested, as the girls overwhelmed him. Lily glanced at her watch coolly.

"I think it's about time I headed back," she said. "I still have loads of homework to do. See you around, James."

And with that, she left, leaving an awestruck and dumbfounded James behind her.

**A/N: I have a question that I want to put up for your guys' (aka reviewers) opinion. Would you rather I have them go for the whole 7 dates, or just have Lily fall for him after like 5? Regardless of which one I choose there'll be lots of side plots and interesting…twists. Wat do you guys think? Review!!!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	10. Like Apple Strudel

**A/N: Okey well, updates may now be a liiiiiiiiitle less frequent since I've been posting faster than I write! Lol...enjoy the chapter!**

"And she walked off…just like that?" Sirius asked, dumbfounded. He shook his head sympathetically.

James nodded glumly. "Yeah…just like that."

Remus handed him a cup of elf's cocoa, which James took without any enthusiasm. "Why don't you just go apologize?" he asked. "The way I figure it, Lily must've thought you set up those girls to impress her."

"I didn't, I swear!" James protested, almost spilling cocoa all over himself and the couch.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "We _know _that. Just tell Lily, mate."

"I don't know," James resumed his hunched position on the couch and sighed. "She probably doesn't even want to hear my name again."

Sirius groaned. "Now you are officially obsessed."

"No arguments there," Remus muttered.

"You still have five dates left," Peter piped up, looking hopeful that for once he'd said the right thing.

James brightened a little. "You think she'll still want to go if I apologize?"

"Of course!" Remus answered, trying to sound enthusiastic. "Just…be elegantly discoursive while repenting sincerely."

Sirius sighed wistfully. "It must be nice to be smart, Remus."

"Yeah, you should try it sometime," the older boy retorted. James laughed.

"Will you guys help me find her?" he asked, looking at Remus and Sirius. They both nodded.

Lily was sitting in the library, trying to immerse herself completely in a new Potions book the library had just received. Yet as much as she tried, she just couldn't find the uses of newt eyes interesting tonight.

"Hey, Lily," Emma walked in and took a seat next to her friend with a bright smile. "So…how did your date go?"

Lily turned away. "Terrible."

Emma's smile faded. "That bad, eh?"

"Worse," Lily's lips trembled, and she gripped the sides of the book tightly. "James set it up so that a bunch of screaming girls walked in on him at Honeydukes."

Emma frowned. "How do you know it was James?"

Lily gave her a look. "Come on, Emma. I'm not stupid, you know. Doesn't that seem like too much of a coincidence?"

Emma considered it for a minute. "No."

Lily gave a frustrated sigh. "That's what Alice said too. Are you both blind?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Think about it, Lily. James is a popular bloke at Hogwarts. He plays Quidditch, is nearly top of his class, is smart, funny, and a great snogger…"

Lily held up her hands. "Okay, okay, I get it! But then, why would he do something like that to me?"

"He wouldn't, and didn't," Emma answered matter-of-factly.

The trio headed into the library hesitantly, looking around.

"Hey listen!" Sirius said, gesturing to his left. Faintly but distinctly, there was the sound of two female voices arguing.

James grimaced. "Yup, that's Lily."

"And Emma," Sirius responded. They tiptoed quietly over to the nearest bookshelf and ducked behind a thick wall of books.

"There's a hole in that section to our right," James said in a low voice, nudging Remus. "Moony, go and see what they're doing."

"You're using Moony as a spy?" Sirius asked, shocked.

"Oh, like you're using him for anything better," James answered, pushing the protesting Remus over a little.

"Actually, I am," Sirius answered indignantly. "I'm going to fail History of Magic if they see Moony and kill him!"

"I'll keep that in mind," James replied dryly. "What are they doing?" he added, turning to Remus.

"Emma's defending you," Remus answered, turning his head a little. "Dunno about Lily."

James groaned.

"Look, mate, just walk out there and talk to her yourself," Sirius urged. "We'll be right here if she starts hexing you."

James took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the bookshelf, clearing his throat. Emma was the first to notice him.

A broad smile spread over her face. "Well, if it isn't James Potter himself," she said, getting up to give him a hug. James grinned at her and then turned to Lily.

"Lily," he began, turning to her with beseeching eyes. "Could I talk to you…alone?"

"Of course you can!" Emma practically sang, shoving the two together before Lily had a chance to speak. She blew Lily a kiss and hurriedly skipped out.

There was an awkward silence for a fraction of a second, then James said in a rush, "LilyIsweartoyouIdidn'tsetthosegirlsupandI'mrealllyreallysorryforeverythingsowillyoupleaseforgiveme?"

Lily opened her mouth to say something, and then paused. "Er…what?"

James gave a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry if you thought it was me who set up those girls," he told her, a little slower. "You are the only girl I've ever loved and I'll go on loving you till the day I die."

"Awwwwww," Sirius said a little too loudly from behind the bookshelf. Remus jinxed him.

Fortunately, Lily didn't notice. "I'm sorry too," she said, hesitantly, realizing that she meant it. "I guess I overreacted the other day."

James caught her in a hug and stroked her brilliant red hair. "So I guess we're on date number three, eh?"

Lily jerked back violently. "Er…right. I suppose. Good night, James." With that, she hurriedly gathered up her books and ran out of the library.

"Wrong thing to say, mate," Sirius said, emerging with the words "IDIOT" printed on his forehead. "Girls need to be delicately handled. Like apple strudel."

James shook his head, still smiling. "She loves me. She just doesn't know it yet."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Like apple strudel."

**A/N: Was the apple strudel crossing the line from randomness into just plain weirdness? Oh well. I was hungry when I wrote it…Anyways I hope you guys liked this!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	11. One Heck of a Girl

**A/N: Yay! I updated!**

The next evening at the Great Hall, Dumbledore stood up to make one of his rare announcements. He didn't need to clear his throat or even do anything—simply standing up made the entire hall go silent.

"Thank you," Dumbledore said, smiling at the students. "Now, I know that each and every one of you considers Hogwarts your home," he began, his eyes twinkling and resting on the Marauders. James grinned back unabashedly.

"Therefore, I hope you will extend your hospitality to the newest member of Hogwarts," Dumbledore continued. "Please welcome Rhianna Elksworth, recently transferred here from Scotland!"

The hall erupted into a frenzy of applause that was typical of Hogwarts affection as a tall, graceful girl stood up and gave a slight bow. She was thin and slender, with wavy dark hair and big dark brown eyes. Sirius catcalled and whistled loudly.

"Thank you," Rhianna said, with a warm Scottish accent. "I am thrilled to be here at Hogwarts. And," she added with a grin, "you can call me Rhia."

Sirius nudged James and Remus. "Whew! She's gorgeous. Wanna bet on how long it'll take me?"

Remus made a face. "Sirius, I really don't want to know about your sexual exploits." He stared at Rhia for a second before glancing away.

James was stunned too, although he didn't show it on his face. When Rhia had gotten up to speak, he'd felt an odd churning in his stomach—could it be that Lily wasn't his one-and-only, and there were other girls out there for him?

Emma forked a spoonful of spaghetti into her mouth. "It definitely sucks to be the new girl, but she seems nice," she commented, sprinkling cheese over her food.

"Yeah, we should go say hi," Alice mused, glancing down the table where Rhia sat.

"Good idea," Lily decided, and the three girls headed over.

"Hi, Rhia," Emma said, grinning at her. "I'm Emma, that's Alice, and that's Lily."

Rhia smiled. "It's nice to meet you all," she answered in her lilting accent. Then she added, grinning, "Is Hogwarts always this cold?"

Lily and Emma exchanged a glance. "Always," they answered simultaneously.

"Well, no," Alice said, frowning at them. "It gets really nice in the summer, during examinations."

"Yeah, a fat lot of good that does us then," Emma answered, rolling her eyes. "Stuck inside taking exams while the sun shines outside."

Rhia laughed. "One improvement here, I've noticed, are the boys. What English gentlemen!"

Emma and Lily burst out laughing immediately, to Rhia's confusion. "What's so funny?" she asked, glancing at them.

Emma pointed towards the Marauders. "See those boys over there? They're the biggest pranksters in all of Europe."

"Oh," Rhia took a quick look. "My, how dashing!" she exclaimed, grinning at Emma and Lily. "Especially the one with the black hair—the hazel eyes."

Lily's smile faded. "Yes," she answered coolly.

Emma rolled her eyes. "That's James Potter," she explained to Rhia. "He and Lily have had a sort of blood feud thing going on since second year."

Rhia looked at Lily. "Oh, but he looks like such a nice boy," she commented, not bothering to hide her admiration.

Lily flushed angrily. "Yes. Very nice." She turned and headed back over to Alice, her fingers clenched into fists.

Emma patted Rhia's shoulder. "Don't take it personally," she advised. "It's just Lily and James."

After dinner, the entire Great Hall filtered out into their respective common rooms or some other part of the castle to relax. James and Sirius waited until almost everyone had left, then quietly tiptoed down to the Quidditch pitch.

"You realize we're breaking about a thousand rules, right?" James asked, glancing at the darkening sky.

Sirius flashed him a grin. "Your point?"

James rolled his eyes. "Of course. Silly me."

"What are you two doing down here?" a female voice said. Rhia stepped out of the shadows, her face tinted with amusement. "Playing hooky, are we?"

"How old fashioned," Sirius scoffed, while muttering "Alohomora" quietly at the broom sheds. "We're just down here for some exercise, that's all."

Rhia's eyes sparkled as she broke into a broad smile. "Mind if I join you?"

James gave her a dubious look. "We're the best in the school," he said, raising his eyebrows. "Sure you can keep up with us?"

Rhia caught the broom that Sirius tossed her with expert grace. "Bet on it," she replied.

The three rose up in the air and began a fast-paced game of broomsticks that required lightning reflexes and quick dodging. As James watched Rhia out of the corner of his eye, he felt his respect for her growing.

"That's some impressive flying, there," he complimented her, as the three walked back into the castle an hour or so later. "Where'd you learn to do that?"

Rhia shrugged. "Oh, here and there," she answered. "My big brother's on a Quidditch team."

"Really?" Sirius asked vaguely, still staring at her flawless looks.

"Yeah," Rhia answered. "He plays for the Chudley Cannons."

James did a double take. "What?!? Are you serious?"

Rhia nodded, grinning. "That's more or less the reaction people always give. Yes, I am serious. He's the seeker."

"B-b-but he's bloody brilliant!" James stuttered, still staring at Rhia in awe.

"Yeah, he is pretty good," Rhia replied. "Although," she added, "Mum always said I could be better if I actually practiced."

James stared at her. "What _can't _you do, Rhia?"

Rhia laughed lightly. "I'm a jack of all trades, I suppose." She waved good bye to the two boys and headed up to the girls dormitories.

Sirius whistled. "That's one heck of a girl, Prongs."

"Yeah," James muttered. Somehow he still couldn't shake the image of Rhia from his mind. "One heck of a girl."

**A/N: So maybe this chappie isn't one of the most brilliant ones I've written…and I haven't updated in like forever…I have writer's block! Argh! Okay well, I promise to update more frequently during Christmas break. Review!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	12. Author's Freakout Response

**A/N: AHHHH!! I had NO idea this last chappie would elicit so many panic attacks!! Haha just kidding…sorta…well anyways to all you fans out there I'd like to reassure you that I WILL be true to the pairing in the summary and Rhia is…temporary. I won't define for how long. :D Don't worry everyone I'm totally an LJ fan thru and thru. Lily&James forever!!**

**Thanks you guys for all your awesome reviews. I'll keep updating, and I'd love feedback on how to turn Rhia into a better/more believable character!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	13. Academia Issues

**A/N: Hey you guys!! Thanks a bunch to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you enjoy the chappie!**

"So who is this Rhia girl anyways?" Alice demanded that night in their dorms.

Lily shrugged. "Beats me."

Emma nibbled one of her nails thoughtfully. "I dunno either, but she seems nice."

Alice made a half grimace. "I guess…"

"What, you don't like Rhia?" asked Lily absently, looking up from her History of Magic homework.

Alice made a noncommittal noise, somewhere between a sigh and a grunt. "I have nothing against her. She just seems…I dunno, too perfect."

Emma laughed. "Ridiculous. Everyone has a weak point somewhere."

Alice only turned away and changed the subject.

"So, Rhia," James said, as they were walking down the hall together to class the next day, "you're in seventh year, right?"

"Yeah," Rhia answered. "I'm not very good at academics, though," she admitted, entering the Transfiguration classroom. Just as she was about to turn the handle, though, the bell rang, and the door immediately locked itself.

"Oh, bloody—" Rhia began, and then sighed, looking around for help.

James gave her an odd look. "It's just the Alohomora spell," he told her, taking out his wand and muttering the charm.

Rhia flushed. "Oh, yes. Of course. How silly of me!"

"Hey, Lily," James greeted her as he entered the classroom with his usual confident swagger.

Lily looked up at him. "Potter, I think you're missing something today."

"What?" James asked innocently, trying to lean over to give her a more conventional greeting.

Lily swatted him irritably. "Your brain."

"How rude!" Rhia looked at Lily, eyes widening in amazement. "He was just trying to be nice, Lily! There's really no need to yell at him."

Lily stared at Rhia, opened her mouth to say something, and then closed it again.

Emma hastily jumped in. "Just stay out of those two's conversations," she told the girl exasperatedly, dragging her towards the front of the classroom where the supplies were. "Didn't I tell you that already?"

Rhia tossed her head. "But Emma, she's being so abusive."

Alice choked back a laugh as she walked past them with a few frogs in her arms. "You should've seen the things he's done to her," she called, walking over to her table.

Rhia frowned. "There's still no need for Lily to be so mean."

Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her shoulder length brown hair. "Look, Rhia," she said, leaning on her elbow against a desk, "here's what's going on. We know that James likes Lily, and we're pretty sure that Lily has feelings for him too. So…don't spoil the plan, okay?"

"What, those two?" Rhia asked, making a face. She gave a small shudder. "It's so strange trying to imagine them as a couple."

Emma rolled her eyes and gave up.

"So, Lily," James began, casually turning his frog into a sequence of different office supplies in rapid succession, "how about that fourth date, eh?"

Lily threw up her hands exasperatedly and accidentally launched her frog ten feet into the air. "Sorry, Professor!" she called guiltily to an angry McGonagall, and turned back to James. "I don't suppose you could forget the rest of those dates, could you?"

James' expression turned serious. "Lily, you gave me one chance to prove I was serious," he answered. "Seven chances, to be exact. Seven chances out of the whole seven years I've known you at Hogwarts. Do you think I would give those up?"

Lily bit her lip. "No," she whispered, looking down at her wand. "I guess not."

James' expression softened. "I have something different in mind for our next date," he commented with a mysterious smile.

Lily felt curious despite herself. _Don't ask him, don't ask him, he wants you to ask him! _she chided herself mentally, and then cursed. "What is it?" she asked, giving in.

James' grin widened. "Can't tell you that, Lilykins. You know," he added with a mischievous smile, "if I didn't know better, I'd say that you were starting to look forward to these dates."

Lily shoved him. "Don't push it, Potter."

"James!" Sirius' voice echoed across the classroom. "C'mere, will you?"

James threw Lily an apologetic look. "Tomorrow evening, at six," he said quickly, and then headed across the room.

"What is it, Padfoot?" he demanded, looking around. "Nothing that's an emergency, is there?"

Sirius pointed to Rhia, who was standing next to him. "Mate, I've tried this entire class to teach her. Now it's your turn."

James looked at Rhia. "What do you need help with?" he asked, trying to sound as nice as possible.

Rhia held her wand awkwardly, fingers spread apart in different distances across random points on the base of the wood. "Er…a lot," she confessed, looking at the frog.

"Okay," James grabbed his own wand and pointed at the frog. "Watch." He made a graceful circular motion in the air, while muttering, "Maxilio!"

Rhia sighed and pushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "Could you do that one more time?"

James repeated it three more times, trying to be as clear as possible. Each time, Rhia watched intently, but when she tried it, either waved her arm in a weird figure eight or forgot to say the spell.

Finally, James stopped her, seeing that the bell was about to ring. "It was good for a beginner," he told her, gathering the poor frog and returning it to McGonagall. "Did you have much Transformation practice at your old school?"

"Actually, Transfiguration was one of the classes I usually skipped," Rhia said carelessly, throwing her wand and books into her bag. She smiled at James. "Thank you for your help, though."

James still hadn't quite recovered from the shock of hearing Rhia say that she used to skip Transfiguration. In Hogwarts, this was rarely, if ever, done. McGonagall had no qualms about failing a shaky student.

"Er…you're welcome," James answered, realizing that Rhia was still looking to him for an answer. She gave him a little wave and walked away.

Sirius appeared, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "She's hopeless, isn't she?" he said, folding his arms.

"She just hasn't done this much," James tried to defend, carefully slipping his own wand back into his bag.

Sirius snorted. "I'll say."

James rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I still think she's nice, Sirius."

Sirius glanced appreciatively at Rhia's long, slim legs fading away down the hall. "Can't deny that," he grinned, with a flash of his old roguish personality. James shoved him.

"So how are you and Lily?" Remus asked, appearing out of nowhere and making both boys jump.

James grinned. "She's falling for it like…like…like McGonagall when I explain why I didn't do my homework."

Remus tsked. "That bad, huh?"

James glared at both Sirius and Remus. "You don't have to laugh so hard, Padfoot," he said, crossing his arms.

Remus popped a piece of Honeyduke's chocolate into his mouth. "We'll see, Prongs."

**A/N: Okay, so this was a little bit of an awkward ending…what can I say? I wanted to finish it and update! Lol. So nyways…I have an interesting idea for their next date. Review!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	14. Sailing Ships

**A/N: I'm starting to hate Rhia myself...but on the bright side, 200 reviews!! Thanx everybody!!**

The next morning, Lily was promptly and abruptly shaken out of her sleep by a very persistent James Potter. She groaned and turned into her pillow, groping around for the distraction.

"Wow, Lily, didn't know you liked it so quick," James teased, watching Lily moan and pull her blanket over her head.

Lily sighed and pushed herself out from under the covers. "What do you want, Potter? It's Saturday! Can't you let a girl sleep?"

"Nope, not a chance," James answered smugly, crossing his arms. He watched the tumble of red hair on the pillow, the smooth white skin against the creamy bedspread, and had to smile. "Love is like an hour glass, the brain empties as the heart fills up," he said, glancing at Lily.

_It is way too early for pickup lines_, Lily thought with a yawn. _It is rather pathetic though. Maybe I should take pity on him and say something nice back._

…

_Nah._

"You must have the world's biggest heart, then," Lily answered, pushing some hair out of her face and finally sitting up.

James beamed. "Why, thanks, Lily, I—hey!" he said indignantly, having just realized what she'd said.

Lily laughed and stretched, then pointed to the door. "Out, Potter. I need to get dressed."

James blew her an exaggerated air kiss and closed the door behind him, smiling as he left.

Emma lifted her head partially off of the pillow. "That was definitely an improvement from last time," she murmured, turning to Lily.

Lily stopped midway in between tying up her hair. "What do you mean?" she demanded, aware that her she was blushing a faint pink.

Emma's grin showed that she had noticed it too. "Well, last time Potter came in this early, you were shouting some rather creative curses," she explained, snuggling in deeper.

Lily scowled at her best friend. "They were perfectly justified."

"I'm sure," Emma said innocently. "And this time, you were—dare I say it? Civil!"

Lily made a face at her. "Well, it is already…er…5:30," she finished lamely, and then hastily finished getting dressed. "I guess I'll see you later then," she called, and headed out the door.

Emma smiled furtively to herself and turned to Alice, who had watched the entire conversation from her bed. "Didya hear that, Alice?"

"Sure did," Alice answered, sporting the same grin as her friend. "Only four dates. I'll have to go collect those galleons from Sirius."

"Can't be too sure yet," Emma countered with a yawn. "Our Lily is apt to go into weird mood swings. But I think this ship is well on its way to sailing."

Alice made a face. "Emma, you have _got_ to stop making such bad similes."

"So where are we going this morning, at 5:30 AM?" Lily demanded, trying to sound irritated and making James feel a huge ton of guilt.

It obviously wasn't working, because James only smiled mischievously and continued walking. "We," he began proudly, "are going on a morning ride."

Lily eyed him warily. "This doesn't involve illegal trespassing into dangerous territory and wild animals, does it?"

James clutched his chest in mock pain. "Lily! I'm astounded that you think so little of me."

"Oh, yeah, because those worries were completely unfounded," Lily retorted, rolling her eyes.

James nodded. "Glad you understand," he replied.

They walked together silently over the castle grounds to the Quidditch pitch, where James unlocked the broom shed and got out his Cleansweep 480. It was the latest brand from the wizarding world, and he'd only gotten it last summer.

Lily's eyes widened as she began to realize what James had in mind. "Oh, no," she started, shaking her head adamantly. "You are out of your mind if you think that I'm going to go anywhere while steering a broom."

James gave her a look. "You? Steering a broom? Please."

"Hey!" Lily cried, glaring at him. "I can fly perfectly well."

"Great, then this should be no problem," James answered. "All you have to do is sit and hold on tight."

Lily hesitated.

"You did promise," James reminded her in a sing-song voice. "Seven dates! Remember? I announced it to you—"

"And the whole school," Lily finished, flushing at the thought of that memory. She would bet her Potions caldron that Professor Dumbledore had purposely placed her next to James in Transfiguration for weeks afterward just to see her being tortured alive.

"Yeah, I really liked the seating arrangements that came out of that," James answered with a wide grin, as if he were reading her mind.

Lily gave him a death glare. "Yeah, what a coincidence."

James shrugged. "What can I say, Lily dear? Love is like quicksand. The deeper you fall in, the harder it is to get out."

Lily couldn't help it; whenever he made one of his stupid pick-up line attempts, she had to snap back. "If I throw rocks, will you sink faster?" she said hopefully.

James mounted the broom, and reluctantly, Lily followed, trying to sit comfortably on the broom. She'd never figured out, for the life of her, why wizards thought it was entertaining to sit on a thin stick of wood and throw balls at each other five hundred feet in the air.

"Just relax," James murmured, guiding the broom with an experienced nonchalance.

Lily gave him a look. "I'm hundreds of feet in the air with a Quidditch player," she pointed out.

"Exactly," James grinned. "And that's why you should feel safe."

"Right, safe with a guy who thinks it's fun to throw huge iron balls through a big hoop," Lily couldn't resist muttering.

The sky was still dark, littered with a few bright morning stars. As they circled the castle and the forest below, though, the sky began to brighten before their very eyes. The smallest sliver of light trembled on the horizon, and then, gaining strength, rose higher into the sky.

"Wow," Lily breathed, leaning further into James. Intuitively, her hands tightened around his waist. James sighed in bliss.

"This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Lily said honestly, staring into the brilliant sunrise.

James turned his head to look at her. "Yeah," he answered in sincere agreement.

Lily saw him looking at her and blushed, glancing away. "Do you do this often?" she asked, reluctantly shading her eyes from the brightening sun.

"Occasionally," answered James. His face split into a grin. "Now admit it. Wasn't that one the best date you've ever been on?"

"It makes top five," Lily admitted grudgingly, inhaling the cologne, shave, and unique scent that was all James'.

They soared above the castle for a while longer, both of them unwilling to descend. Lily enjoyed the feel of the breeze in her face, brushing back her hair with gentle fingers.

"James!" a loud, enthusiastic cry broke through the quiet air. Lily's eyes flew open as she heard the sound, and James jerked involuntarily.

"James, what a great idea!" Rhia said, waving from the Quidditch pitch down below. "I can't believe you didn't ask me, though! Come down, okay?"

Reluctantly, James brought the broom down to the ground and helped Lily dismount. "Hi, Rhia," he said stiffly, hoping she'd get the hint and go away.

"You know, I've always wanted to go on a ride like this," Rhia said thoughtfully, eyeing James' broom. "Pity you didn't ask me before, though, when the sun was rising. That would've been a real treat!"

"Uh, Rhia?" Lily was staring at the girl with open hostility. "Hate to break it to you, but he hasn't asked you _now._"

Rhia laughed. "And Lily! So good to see you this morning." She gave her a hug, not noticing how Lily cringed away.

"What are you doing out here?" James demanded. "I thought only Quidditch captains were allowed on the field this early."

Rhia tossed her thick hair. "Oh, I've always loved the pitch," she answered, spreading her arms. "The grass, the open sky, the hoops at either end…it's magnificent."

"Yeah, it is," James admitted unwillingly. He knew how she felt. The Quidditch pitch, in all its glory of the early morning sunrise, was a living entity in itself.

"Anyways," Rhia continued, "will you take me up on a ride, James? I'm sure Lily wouldn't mind," she added innocently.

Lily forced a smile. "No, not at all," she replied. "I'll see you around, James." She walked off of the field, disappearing into the castle.

"No, Lily, wait, please, I—" James began, but she was already gone with a swish of red hair around the corner. He groaned.

"Great!" Rhia said brightly. "Let's go, James!"

James closed his eyes with a sigh and reluctantly mounted the broom, aware of Rhia's too-tight hold on his waist. This was going to be a long day.

**A/N: Wowwwww. I just know all you Rhia-haters are going to absolutely DEPSISE me for this. cowers Sorry everybody! Don't hate me, please! I'm just trying to add spice to this story. Rhia will get what she deserves, don't worry. If it makes you feel better to review with horrible ideas of how Rhia's going to get –ahem- removed from this story, go for it!**

**ily,**

**Jo**

**P.S. One little mistake in this chappie...I know in the last chapter I said date as six in the evening, but...I changed my mind. Sorry if you guys were annoyed/confused by that!**


	15. Christmas Thongs

**A/N: Merry Christmas everyone!!! Soooo, my personal Christmas present to you guys is two updates in one day!! I'll be updating Ch 15 in a few hours, maybe sooner. :) Remember: candy is good for you!!!!!**

The next few weeks passed quickly, with the mood of the entire castle feeling exciting because of the approaching holidays and break. Gigantic Christmas trees began to appear in common rooms and the Great Hall, and mistletoe became somewhat of a commodity.

Ever since James Potter had learned what mistletoe was and its function in first year, he had been trying to take advantage of it with Lily Potter. So far, the score was: Lily- 6, James- 0.

"Who puts up this stuff anyways?" Lily muttered one day, after having to pull a strand that had fallen down out of her hair.

Alice looked up at the green plant. "Probably the house elves," she guessed, helping Lily untangle the mistletoe from her hair.

Emma sighed. "It would be romantic if all the boys didn't take it so literally."

"Touché," Lily agreed. She glanced at Alice, who hadn't ventured a comment. "Then again," she teased, "I guess Alice likes it when Frank takes it literally."

Alice blushed a very bright red color. "Stop that, Lily!"

Emma laughed. "Oh, go on. We all know Alice and Frank are the couple of Hogwarts. Has been since first year."

Alice made a face at them. "Just because you two can't hold onto your men," she began.

Emma laughed, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, you wanna bet?"

Alice's lips curved upward in a sly smile. "Sure. I'll bet you ten galleons that you can't date Sirius Black for more than two months."

Emma choked. "_Who _did you say?"

Lily was trying very hard not to break up into laughter and have Emma come to attack her with pillows. "She said, Sirius Black," Lily supplied helpfully.

Emma glared. "I heard her the first time, thanks," she answered dryly. "My question is, of all the decent boys here at Hogwarts, why Black? He's not even worth considering!"

Alice nibbled on a piece of candy. "Oh, I wouldn't say that," she said mildly, glancing at Lily to give her a quick smile. "He is one of the Marauders, after all, and pretty good looking."

Emma gagged. "Alice, please don't go on. Next you're going to tell me he's intelligent."

Alice grinned. "So you aren't going to take the bet?"

Emma flew up indignantly. "Who said that?" she fired, crossing her arms defiantly. "I'll prove you wrong. Hope you have ten extra galleons to spare, Alice!"

Lily smiled. "This should be interesting…"

At that moment, Sirius walked past the group of girls, waving a hello. He took a seat next to Alice, not noticing how Emma shied away from him.

"So, what are you girls up to?" he asked, grinning.

Lily began to answer, but Sirius held up his hand. "Wait, one sec," he hissed. "See that first year over there?"

The girls nodded. "She's an exchange student from Paris," he said, grinning. "Check out those legs!" Sirius jumped up, stopped the girl, and made a few wild gestures with his arms.

"You, me, dancing?" he asked, waving his arms around.

The girl's eyes widened. "J'ai peur!" she exclaimed, and hurried away. (A/N: In French, that means "I'm scared!")

Sirius walked back to Emma, Alice, and Lily leisurely, smiling. "She totally wants me," he decided, stretching.

Emma gave him a look. "Yeah, arrested," she replied, giving Lily and Alice I-told-you-so looks.

Alice waved a finger. "You bet," she reminded her, and both she and Lily broke up into laughter, to the bewilderment of poor Sirius.

Meanwhile, James was sitting on his bed moodily, racking his brain for the perfect Christmas gift for Lily. He'd already made several lists and discarded them all. Nothing he could think of seemed right.

"You've been in here for three hours, mate," Sirius pointed out, ambling lazily into the dorm. "You really think sitting here for another three is going to do it?"

James narrowed his eyes. "Yes."

Remus looked up from his Potions homework. "Just get her something she'll like," he suggested lamely.

"What a brilliant idea, Captain Obvious," Sirius complimented him, clapping his friend on the back.

Remus shied away quickly. "I meant, get her books or something," he said, looking at his own fondly.

"Nah, that'll be what everyone gives her," Sirius countered. "Jamesie here ought to get her something creative…like a thong."

Remus gaped at him and turned a bright red. "Is that…are those…those skinny little—"

"Yes," James cut in, before Remus could go any further.

Remus turned even redder and turned back to his homework, muttering something about "inappropriate friends."

Sirius grinned; teasing Remus was one of his favorite pastimes. "Come to me if you need any ideas," he said, heading out of the room.

James stared at his Snitch-covered bedspread moodily. "I'll never find the perfect gift for Lily," he sighed, tracing patterns with his finger.

"That's not true," Emma said, suddenly appearing in the room.

James jumped about a foot into the air. "Blimey, Emma! What are you doing in here?"

Emma made a face. "Get a grip on yourself, James," she said. "You too, Remus," she added, glancing at the very alarmed Lupin. "I'm just looking for Sirius. Any idea where he might be?"

James gave her an odd look. "No…"

Emma saw his look and sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's a long story. I'll tell you later," she said, sitting down on a bed. "So, James. What's your dilemma?"

"I need to find Lily the perfect Christmas gift," James answered. He brightened, looking at Emma hopefully. "Hey! You're her best friend. What does she like?"

"Lily's a very sentimental person, deep down," Emma advised. "Put some thought into it and she'll like it no matter what."

"But I need her to love it, not like it," James protested. "Ever since the whole Rhia thing—"

"What?" interrupted Emma, surprised. "I didn't hear about this!"

"Well, Rhia pretty much messed up the last few minutes of our morning date," James said, wincing at the memory. "So I want to make it up to Lily with an amazing gift."

"That's really sweet of you, James," Emma said, looking at him with admiration. "But I can't help you there. I have no idea what she really wants. Just get her something spontaneous. Maybe a thong?"

James groaned and buried his head in his arms as Emma left the room.

Remus shook his head wisely. "Great minds think alike, I suppose."

"I wonder if that's true for stupid minds, too?" James mused. "That would fit Sirius a whole lot better."

"No arguments there," Remus muttered, returning to work on his homework.

"Moony, I heard that, and I want you to know that you've destroyed my fragile ego forever," Sirius said, coming in again with a puppy-dog face.

Remus shuddered. "Padfoot, that look works a lot better on someone who doesn't already look like the wrong end of a dog."

James exploded into laughter as Sirius' mouth dropped open. "Well, well, aren't we feeling prickly today?" Sirius finally managed to say, crossing his arms. "What's got your wand in a knot?"

"Oh, Moony here is just feeling left out because he hasn't got a girl to snog for the holidays," James injected, grinning at Remus.

Remus rolled his eyes. "Of course, James. That's definitely it."

"Anyways, Prongsie," Sirius began, turning to James, "I think we need to enact Plan #76 soon."

James raised his eyebrows. "And what exactly _is _Plan #76?"

Sirius gave an exaggerated sigh. "Are you telling me that you don't remember what Plan 76 is? You're supposed to be smart!"

"And you're supposed to be sexy," said James with a snort. "Done and done. What's the plan, mate?"

Sirius' face slowly widened into a grin. "It includes the one with the mistletoe that I wanted to do third year, remember? Only McGonagall caught us during Stage 4. Since it is our last Christmas here, we Marauders need to do something that will be remembered. Something legendary."

"I don't think we'll be forgotten anytime soon!" squeaked Peter, nibbling at a nail nervously. "At least," he added in reverence, "you won't, James."

James looked taken aback. "Er…thanks, Wormtail," he said, exchanging a glance with Sirius.

"You realize this breaks about fifty school rules, right?" Remus warned, directing a pointed look at Sirius.

Sirius shrugged carelessly. "It's our last Christmas here. A few weeks of detention is worth it."

"He's got a point, Moony," James replied thoughtfully. He considered it for a few seconds. "All right, then. Let's do this!"

Sirius cheered and together, the four Marauders huddled over a piece of paper and began to plot.

**A/N: Wow, what a long chapter!! Gasp!! You guys should love me for this. :D In the holiday spirit, this chappie and maybe the two or three next few will be in a Christmasy mood. Review!!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	16. Festive Fairies

**A/N: Update number two, as promised!!**

The snow was drifting down like feathers around the soft gray of glow of the castle, but inside the warmly lit Gryffindor common room, everything was decked out in festive red and green.

"Blimey, the house elves don't shirk a job, do they?" commented Alice, looking up at the ceiling. "There's barely an uncovered patch up there."

"There's way too much mistletoe," Lily grumbled, casting a glare at the innocently dangling green plant. "Will you believe it? Some dolt from Divination actually tried to force me under one of them."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "So James has got some competition, eh?"

Lily snorted. "Not a chance."

Peter, who was trying to sit with them and look cool, gave Lily a confused look. "Does that mean you're hopelessly and madly in love with James?"

"No!" Lily exclaimed, shooting up out of her seat. "That is not what I mean!"

Peter cowered a little, shrinking back into his seat. "Right then. Course not, Lily. How could I be so stupid?"

Emma laughed and patted Lily's arm. "Take it easy on the poor bloke, Lily," she defended Peter. "He doesn't know any better."

"Obviously," said Lily stiffly.

"Anyways, I was thinking," Alice said, resting her chin in her hands, "do you guys feel as though this castle has been too…quiet this Christmas?"

Emma reflected pensively. "Now that you mention it," she admitted, "I haven't seen any pranks from the Marauders all this month. I wonder what's wrong with them?"

Lily glowered darkly. "They're probably planning some colossal prank for Christmas," she guessed. "Something that'll take ages to clean up."

Emma grinned. "You're right, Lily. That sounds like our boys."

Peter gave a little squeal and abruptly ran out of the room. Unfortunately for him, Alice had already foreseen this and had attached a small, Zonko's Magically Binding Chain to the seat of his robes, and he was immediately yanked back into the room.

"Okay, Peter," Emma began, hands on hips, "what exactly are you guys planning?"

Peter gulped. "Er…I…lots of stuff," he stammered, his small eyes flicking back and forth anxiously.

Lily looked up. "You mean, like one prank after another in rapid succession?" she asked, her voice deadly quiet.

Peter opened his mouth to speak, and then choked suddenly. Bright red dots suddenly appeared all over his face, and a huge rainbow-colored tattoo wound its way across his forehead in bright letters that read: TRAITOR.

"What immature prats," Lily said, rolling her eyes and looking at Peter as he gave a high-pitched shriek and ran out of the room.

"That was a pretty good idea, though," Emma said with grudging admiration. She gave a sigh and collapsed back onto the couch. "So, what exactly are we going to do about this?"

Lily groaned. "As if my Head Girl duties weren't enough."

Alice played with the hem of her robe absently. "You know, girls," she said thoughtfully, "we could always pay them back in their own way."

Emma nodded slowly. "Yeah, a few pranks on the almighty Marauders wouldn't hurt," she agreed, a wicked smile stretching over her face.

Lily hesitated. "I don't know, you guys," she confessed, "we'd be breaking like a million school rules."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh please, Lily! All the teachers love you anyways. And," she added persuasively, "we'd be able to pull a few interesting stunts on James."

"Okay, count me in," Lily finally gave in, grinning. Emma and Alice gave each other high fives. With Lily involved, the spells were going to be abso-bloody-lutely amazing.

"Moony, you know what I just realized?" James said suddenly one day. Remus looked up, noticing the beginning of a long rant.

"I only have three dates left with Lily," James answered himself. He lowered his head into his hands. "And the last few haven't exactly gone that well. Three more dates, and then I can't ever ask her out again."

"Well, you knew that you were taking a risk when you proposed the bet," Remus pointed out sensibly.

James gave him a look. "Thanks, Moony. That helped a lot."

"Sorry, mate," Remus replied. "But, look on the bright side! She doesn't think you're a complete jerk anymore."

"She doesn't?" James asked in surprise, looking up.

"No, she doesn't," confirmed Remus. He smiled at his friend, who was looking as though Christmas had come early.

James' face fell. "But then, if we pull those pranks, Lily'll think I'm an immature bully again," he realized.

Remus stared at James. "You're not thinking of backing out, are you?" he asked.

"No, no! No, of course not," James amended hastily, sighing. "It's my last year. Lily or no Lily, there's just some things a Marauder can't give up."

"That's the spirit!" Sirius said, hearing the last bit and coming in. He grinned at his two friends, an almost maniacal look in his eye. "I've got the perfect place to pull the first prank…"

The week before Christmas was almost crackling with anticipation and enthusiasm for the holidays, so much that almost none of the teachers could teach. None, that is, except for McGonagall.

Only Lily was taking notes on her lecture on Animagi. The rest of the class had either decided to cut for the day or were doodling, passing notes, or sleeping. James gave Sirius a wink.

"All ready?" Sirius asked in a low undertone.

James opened his mouth to answer, but before he could do so, a note came flying across the room and landed smoothly on his desk. His heart leaped as he imagined a passionate love letter from Lily…but then he opened it and read:

_Dear James,_

_Hey! This is Rhia, by the way. So, do you think you could help tutor me in Transfiguration again, since we had such fun last time? Ugh…Animagi…who cares about them anyways? I think they're so dumb, don't you?_

_Rhia_

James gritted his teeth and shoved the note in his bag. "Ready when you are," he whispered back to Sirius.

Sirius carefully drew out a small black bag from underneath his desk, and shook it gently. The bag jiggled in his grasp, and he gave James a thumbs up.

Sneaking a side glance at McGonagall to make sure she wasn't looking, James carefully aimed the tip of his wand at the small mark in the side of the bag. If Remus' calculations were correct, the Festive Fairies inside would zoom out at just the right angle to cover McGonagall in a (temporary) red and green Christmas rash.

Now where was that darn mark? James squinted, staring at the side of the bag intently. Was that it? Hoping that he was right, he whispered, "Incendio!" and jabbed a hole in the side of the bag.

There was a loud jingling noise as the Fairies, angry as hornets after being kept cooped up for so long, zoomed out of the bag. Many of the girls shrieked and dove under their desks for cover.

"Yeah!" Sirius whooped with glee and clutched his sides, he was laughing so hard. "Just so all you guys know, they're 50 discount at Zonko's between now and Christmas!"

James was laughing too, but then he noticed the direction the fairies were heading. They weren't flying towards the front of the classroom, but rather towards the far left. His trained Quidditch eye followed the line of flight and realized that they were zooming towards one person in particular.

Rhia screamed and shrieked hysterically as she saw the tiny Fairies coming towards her. She looked around frantically for an escape route, but she was surrounded by desks. By then, it was too late anyways.

"Blimey!" Emma gasped, as the tall, model-esque girl was engulfed in a huge cloud of red and green smoke.

Lily was trying hard not to laugh. "This should be an interesting look," she commented, peering through the smoke.

Rhia coughed and swatted the Fairies aside, trying to step out of target area. As she emerged, the entire class could see huge patches of red and green rashes spotted all over her body. Rhia scratched at her arms, her face, desperately, trying to get rid of the colorful patches.

Lily broke out in unabashed laughter. "Rhia, I really do think red is your color," she said, covering a giggle with he hand.

Rhia gave Lily a glare that could have melted ice. "It's not that funny," she said, with as much dignity as she could muster. "You're just a mean, intimidating person, and this is why you'll never get a boyfriend, Lily Evans!"

James was at Rhia's side in a flash, his wand held threateningly at her chest. "Don't ever say that again," he told her with quiet menace.

"B-but, James," Rhia pouted, still frantically scratching at her body. "She's just a pathetic loser!"

James gave her one look of pure disgust and grabbed Lily's arm. "Let's go," he said, and one by one, everyone filed out of the classroom, leaving Rhia alone to sulk—and scratch.

**A/N: All you Rhia haters, are you loving this chappie? Hee hee, this is dedicated specially to you guys.**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	17. Intelligentest James

**A/N: I was debating whether or not to post it...and I finally decided I'd be nice! Lol three updates in TWO days!! Love me! Haha jk...enjoy the chappie!**

"So, Lily," James said casually, a few days before Christmas, "what about that fifth date, eh?"

They were on their Head Boy and Girl patrols through a deserted corridor, it was about eleven at night, and James had decided to pull the romantic charmer act. Lily groaned. _Someone, stun me now_, she thought.

"What about it, Potter?" she demanded brusquely, shooing a few second years out of a deserted broom closet. The couple ran off, giggling.

"Ouch, Lily, I think I preferred James," James said, casting a side glance at her. In the pale moonlight shining through the occasional window, Lily looked surreal.

"You really are going to go through with the last three dates?" a frustrated Lily asked, breaking James' reverie.

James stared at her like she had gone crazy. "Uh…yes!!"

Lily gave a half sigh, half chuckle. "What is it about me, anyways?" she asked suddenly, turning towards James. "I've tried for years and years to get it through your fat head that I think you're an arrogant, bullying toerag. Why are you so persistent?"

"Well, I—" James began, but Lily cut him off.

"It's the fun of the chase, isn't it?" she said, placing her hands on her hips.

James rolled his eyes. "Yes, Lily, it's all about the fun of the chase," he said sarcastically.

"I knew it!" Lily straightened and glared at him. "Potter, you…you're the epitome of everything I hate," she spat.

James stared at her. "Wow, Lily, you really are thick," he said. "Couldn't you tell that that was sarcasm?"

"No, you are the most—wait, what?" Lily blinked. "That was sarcasm?"

James felt like laughing and crying at the same time. "Yeah," he said, stressing the word this time.

Lily coughed. "Oh. Right then." They continued walking, patrolling the deserted hallways.

"The truth is," James said softly, "you're the only girl I've ever loved."

Lily's throat was feeling tight for some reason. She swallowed, berating herself mentally. _No! Bad Lily! Remember all the pranks he pulled! _The image of a Christmas-colored Rhia came to her mind, and she found herself smiling. Oops. That was definitely not the desired effect.

James' face slowly broke into a wide smile. "Admit it, Lily. You're falling for me," he taunted.

Lily blushed furiously. "I am not! You always have been a jerk, and you always will be!"

They had reached the common room, and Lily hastily gave the password and climbed in through the hole, barely giving James a chance to speak. She hurried up the girls' stairs and disappeared up into the dormitories.

"What did you say?" Sirius grumbled, sitting up on the couch. He looked at James. "It was obviously going fine up till that moment."

James shrugged. "I have no idea! All I said was that I was the most brilliant guy she'd ever met and she was falling for me. That's it. No big deal."

Remus snorted. "Way to be subtle, James."

James glared at him. "I _was _subtle! Not being subtle would have been telling her that I was the hottest, sexiest, smartest, cutest, intelligentest—"

"Okay, we get the point," Remus cut in, rolling his eyes.

James sighed. "Guys, I need your help," he said, turning to Remus and Sirius (and pretty much ignoring Peter completely). "Help me plan an absolutely spectacular fifth date."

Sirius held up his hands. "Whoa, there, Prongsie! We have way too much stuff going on right now for you to be mooning over Lily. Our second prank, remember? Marauder legacy?"

Remus nodded. "Sirius is right, James," he agreed. "Let's get Plan 76 over with and then we'll help you make Lily fall in love with you."

James made an incoherent complaining noise. "Fine."

"Ready to enact Operation: Mistletoe?" Sirius asked, letting out a laugh that was like a bark.

Remus held up his hand. "Hold it. McGonagall threw a fit when she found us in Stage 4 during third year, remember? That can't happen again."

Sirius rubbed his hands together. "Oh, it won't," he assured them with an evil smile.

Lily collapsed onto her bed as soon as she was in the dormitories, letting out a huge gust of a sigh. Emma, who was still awake, turned on the lights and sat up.

"So, Lily, how'd it go?" Alice asked, grabbing a hairbrush and beginning to work through her long thick hair.

Lily frowned at her. "What do you mean?"

"What she means is, Lily and James, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," Emma said in a singsong voice. She grinned. "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby—"

"Okay!" Lily threw a pillow at Emma. "Have you had too much Firewhisky tonight, Emma?"

Alice pointed at the three empty bottles sitting by Emma's bed. "There's your answer, Lily."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Usually she doesn't start partying till Christmas Eve. Something must've happened."

Alice was trying hard not to smile as Emma murmured something unintelligible and sank down into her bed. "Well, you should've seen her and Sirius earlier tonight," was all she would say.

Lily's eyes widened. "Do I want to know?" she demanded.

Alice laughed. "It's okay. I don't think Sirius was nearly as drunk as Emma was."

"Oh, poor Emma," Lily stroked her friend's hair. "She's going to wake up tomorrow morning and kill Sirius for him having seen her drunk."

"Yeah, Emma tends to get a little exuberant," Alice admitted, still grinning. "It's okay. When she comes back to her senses, she'll realize and her and Sirius are perfect for each other, and that'll be the end of that."

"Alice!" Lily stared at her friend. "You started that bet with Emma just to hook them up, didn't you?"

Alice nodded.

"Clever," Lily acknowledged, smirking. "Wake me up early tomorrow morning for the Emma-and-Sirius show, okay?"

"Will do," Alice nodded and went back to work on her hair. "So," she added conversationally, "how was James tonight? Still being a git?"

"Something like that," Lily sighed. She leaned against the headboard of her bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. "He's convinced I'm in love with him."

When Alice didn't answer, Lily threw her other pillow at her. "Stop that!" she said. "I know how I feel, Alice."

Rhia sat up, rubbing her eyes groggily. "What in the world is up with all this nonsense and noise?" she demanded peevishly, glaring at Lily and Alice.

Lily shrugged. "Alice and I were just talking," she answered shortly.

Immediately, Rhia's personality changed. "Oh my gosh, why didn't you wake me up?" she demanded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "So, what were you guys talking about?"

Alice and Lily exchanged a glance. "Just James," Alice finally answered.

Rhia's smile became sly. "Isn't he fine?" she sighed dreamily. She eyed her perfectly manicured pink nails. "And I think he's falling for me, don't you?"

For once in her life, Lily had nothing to say.

"Um," answered Alice.

"Oh, I know he is, girls," Rhia cooed, playing with her long, silky dark hair. "We'd be all over Teen Witch in a second, you know. James and Rhia, Rhia and James."

Lily almost gagged. "Er, it's late," she said. "I guess we'd better turn out the lights."

Rhia pouted. "You are such a party spoiler, Lily," she said. "Oh, by the way, could you hand me that red bottle over there?"

Lily eyed it warily. "What is it?" she asked.

Rhia sighed. "It's just acid," she said, shaking her head. "It's for getting rid of split ends, chipped nails, that sort of thing."

"Oh," Lily grabbed the bottle, not noticing that the top was loose, and tossed it to Rhia.

The next few seconds seemed to happen in slow motion. One second, Rhia was sitting leisurely on her bed, combing out her hair, and the next, the clear liquid was falling in a graceful arch towards her, and Rhia was screaming and jumping as it spilled all over her and her bed.

"Merlin!" Alice jumped up, running over to the bed. "Rhia, are you all right?"

Rhia was turning purple with rage. "No, you dimwit, I'm not!" she shrieked, holding up a lock of her hair. "Look at this!"

None of the acid had spilled on her body, but it had left numerous trickles running down her hair. As a result, Rhia's thick, glossy hair was now ragged and uneven. It looked like someone had taken a torch and burned zigzag lines down her hair.

Lily had to cover a smile. "Your hair will grow back," she assured the other girl, looking with amusement at the dull black ends. "And besides, I hear ghetto is the new look nowadays."

Rhia clenched her hands into fists. "Oh, I'll get you back for this, Lily," she said, gritting her teeth. "James Potter will be all mine, and he'll forget all about you. Just you wait!"

Lily felt as though this shouldn't bother her—after all, what did she care for James Potter?—but for some reason it did. She tried to speak, and didn't know what to say.

Alice jumped to her rescue. "Good luck with that, Rhia," she told the other girl loftily. "James has been head over heels in love with Lily since our first year, and it'll take a lot more than you to shake him out of that."

Rhia smiled slowly. "Oh, we'll see," was all she said.

**A/N: EEEP!! I actually liked this chappie, and it's loooong YAY! I can't wait to write Operation Mistletoe… -evil laughter-**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	18. Operation Mistletoe

**A/N: Warning to everybody! This chappie contains a much anticipated (not really...) kiss, so it may be slightly PG-13. Then again, the rating on this fic was T, so..yea, nothing too bad, I don't think. :D**

Since many of the Hogwarts students would be leaving a few days before Christmas to go home for the winter break, the Marauders knew that they would have to act fast. Fortunately for them, Remus and James' hard work ensured that everything would be ready on time.

"Guys, I don't know if this is such a good idea," stuttered Peter nervously. "I mean…what if _we _get caught under this?"

James' smile widened. "Then it becomes bloody brilliant!"

Peter shuddered. The idea of him being forcibly trapped under the mistletoe until he kissed the other person (whether it be girl, guy, or house elf) was somehow not appealing.

Sirius slapped James on the back. "That's the spirit, Prongsie!"

Remus made a face. "I'm carrying antidote with me at all times."

Sirius pouted. "Moony! You can't do that! That ruins all the fun!"

Remus sniffed. "I don't care."

"Okay, people, let's get back on task," James reminded them. "The Marauders have never failed to carry out a plan before—"

"Oooh, wait, what about that time in Fifth Year—" Peter began, but James cut him off with a look.

"As I was saying," James continued, "the Marauders have never failed to carry out a plan before, and this year, we're going to make sure it's the best prank yet!"

Sirius cheered, Remus gave a half hearted sort of smile, and Peter just looked scared. James rubbed his hands together. This plan was one hundred percent foolproof—after all, Sirius _had _spent all of Charms and Transfiguration coming up with the new-and-revised-version. It had to be foolproof—right?

Later that night, after everyone was in bed and asleep, James, Sirius, and Remus snuck down to the Gryffindor Common room quietly.

"Think we should've woken up Peter?" Remus asked reflectively.

"Nah," James answered, waving a hand. "We'll be fine without him, anyways. Sirius, have you got the mistletoe?"

Sirius pointed to his Endless Ever-Expandable bag ordered from the Witch's Weekly catalog. "Right here, Prongsie!"

James nodded. "All right then, let's move!"

Quietly, they climbed through the portrait hole and tiptoed down the corridor. Having reached Truffles the Tenacious' portrait, the three boys split up, each grabbing a huge armful of mistletoe, and began to hang it up.

An hour and a half later, three tired and disheveled Marauders finally stumbled back up to their dorms, almost falling over their own feet in their exhaustion.

"Blimey, why'd we have to do it at night?" Remus grumbled for the fifteenth time.

Sirius yawned and dug under his bed. "Anyone seen my Chudley Cannon boxers?"

James wrinkled his nose. "No, Sirius."

Sirius let out a long wail. "But I haaaaaaaaaaave to have my Chudley Cannon boxers!"

The other boys in the dorm were starting to wake up, and Remus hastily muttered, "Silencio" under his breath. The room gradually became quiet again, filled with the sounds of snores.

"It'll be worth it in the morning," James yawned, and promptly fell asleep.

Lily's first suspicion came the next day when neither James, Sirius, nor Remus showed up to breakfast on time. She stared at the three empty spots down the table and narrowed her eyes. Something was up.

"Lily, look!" Alice nudged her and pointed to the side. Lily glanced over, and gave a gasp. Almost every nook and cranny in the Great Hall had been completely covered in mistletoe.

Lily gritted her teeth. "The Marauders," she said.

Emma wandered over to one of the mistletoe plants, peering at it. She pointed her wand at the plant, muttered something, and a flurry of red sparkles flew from the mistletoe.

"It's been charmed," Emma confirmed, looking at Lily. "Dunno what they do, though."

Lily looked at the couples deliberately rambling over to the clusters. "I think I can guess," she said grimly.

Alice tapped her finger on the table thoughtfully. "Hey Peter," she called, gesturing the boy over.

Peter approached her nervously. "Yeah?"

"Do you see that Ravenclaw over there?" Alice pointed to a fifth year with blond hair who was also eyeing the plants with interest. "Get her under the mistletoe with you."

Peter gave an alarmed squeak. "Not over Merlin's dead body!"

Alice gave him a look. "Now, Peter," she said coaxingly, "you don't want to be a eunuch, do you?"

Peter's eyes grew wide. "N-no, I don't think so…"

"Great, then go," Alice commanded, and gave him a shove. All three girls watched interestedly as Peter started talking to the girl, heading closer and closer to the mistletoe.

Suddenly the girl gave a little gasp and looked up at the plant. She shook her head adamantly and tried to move away, but quickly realized that it wasn't possible.

Emma covered her eyes and groaned. "This is so beyond gross."

Finally, the girl gave in and quickly pecked Peter on the lips, then ran screaming out of the Great Hall.

"So this is James and Sirius' idea of funny," Emma said, glaring daggers at the mistletoe.

"It would seem so," answered a very ticked off Lily.

Alice, Emma, and Lily were all very fortunate during that day, since none of them were dragged and/or forcibly enticed under the mistletoe. As Lily walked up to the common room that night, she gave a little sigh of relief.

The Gryffindor common room was quieter than usual, since most people were either catching up on some homework in the library, or getting an early night's sleep. Lily walked in and gratefully sank down on a sofa, not noticing the tiny sprig of mistletoe right above her head.

"Hey, Lily," James walked in, as cool and calm as ever.

Lily glared at him. "You did this, didn't you?"

"Well, not just me alone," James answered quickly. "I wouldn't dream of taking all the glory!" he added with a lopsided grin.

Lily sighed. "Does this stuff disappear by itself, or am I going to have to clean it?" she demanded irritably.

James took a seat next to her, leaning his head against the back of the seat for a moment. Lily glanced at him, struck by how vulnerable, yet strong, he looked.

"It'll clean up," James assured her.

Lily licked her lips awkwardly. "Er…right then," she replied. "I guess…I'll just go up to the dorms. Good night, James."

She stood up and made to leave, but she hadn't gotten more than a few feet away when a sudden force stopped her. Lily's eyes narrowed again and she tried to walk past the barrier, but she found that her feet wouldn't move.

James' mischievous smile was back. "Er…Lily?" he asked, and Lily could hear the obvious laughter in his voice.

"What is it?" Lily asked exasperatedly.

In answer, James merely pointed up at the mistletoe above their heads. Lily's eyes widened and she sat back down on the couch. "Oh, sweet Merlin," she groaned.

"Well, it won't let you leave until you kiss me," James explained, grinning wider than Lily had ever seen him.

Lily hmphed. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

James shrugged. "Just trying to be helpful," he replied, shifting his position on the couch. "So, Lily—are we doing this?"

"Over my dead body," growled Lily. She crossed her arms. "You'll have to wait here till oblivion, because there's no way I'll ever kiss you."

Half an hour later…

"Ready now, Lily?" James asked. "You know, I have homework up in my room, so I would really appreciate it if you'd just—"

"When hell freezes over," Lily told him.

James smiled and reclined on the couch. "Well, at least now I don't have to do my homework."

Three hours later…

"We can stay here for as long as you want, Lilykins," James supplied helpfully to Lily's muttered curses and spells. She had been trying jinxes and charms for the past hour, and so far, nothing had worked.

"Potter!" Lily turned to him and threw up her hands. "You must know the counterspell! What is it?"

James spread out his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "Your guess is as good as mine, Lilykins. If it helps, though," he added, "we can count this as our fifth date."

Lily gritted her teeth. "Oh, thanks, Potter, that makes me feel ever so much better," she told him sarcastically.

Finally, at about 2:30 in the morning, Lily finally gave in. "I'm too tired," she moaned. "What the bloody hell do I have to do in order to get to my bed?"

James rolled his eyes. "You know, Lily, it's really not that hard. Just kiss me."

"Well," Lily sighed, "Peter kissed a Ravenclaw this morning. I guess I can take it."

James' eyes popped out. "Peter…kissed someone?" he pretended to gag, and Lily had to laugh. "Lily, I do _not _need that image at all," he told her mock seriously.

Lily brushed a strand of her hair out of her face. "Okay, let's get this over with," she said brusquely, trying to ignore the butterfly feeling in the pit of her stomach.

James rearranged the pillows on either side of him, straightened his shirt, ruffled his hair, and tucked a few strands of Lily's own hair behind her ears.

"Merlin, you're taking your own sweet time, aren't you?" grumbled Lily.

James was unabashed. "Yes, I am," he told her seriously. Then, ever so slowly, he leaned in.

Lily's heart was thumping so loud, she was surprised that no one was waking up upstairs. Her breathing quickened as James moved closer. She could smell the faint scent of cologne and aftershave coming off of James' skin, and her eyes were caught by the loving tenderness in the hazel depths of James'…

And then their lips touched, and all rational thought fled Lily's mind. It wasn't the gentle, unassuming kiss she'd expected, but a passionate, hungry kiss that lifted her off of her feet and left her wanting more.

When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, Lily had no idea what to do. She looked at James for a split second, and then, with a little gasp of her own, bolted upstairs for the girl's dormitories.

James, while still stunned by the perfection of the kiss they had just shared, recovered enough to grin slyly to himself. He made a mental note to thank Sirius for the mistletoe and Remus for the spell later. In his opinion, this had been the best date ever.

**A/N: Hmmmm…I think I may be stuck with writer's block now…argh! Must! Think! Up! New! Chapter! Don't worry you guys, I'll work on it. Reviews would be lovely!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	19. Mister Monty's Magic Circus

**A/N: So, danfan789 pointed out to me this GIGANTIC mistake in the past two chappies! Oops! So, to clear things up, the mistletoe thing was the 4th date, not the fifth. I tried to change it in the documents for the past chapters...but couldn't figure it out...so till I do, this AN will have do. :D Happy reading!**

As February drew closer and closer, Lily began to think about planning the annual Hogwarts Cupid Ball. Because she was Head Girl, it was pretty much up to her to plan the entire dance—she already knew how much help James was going to be. Namely, none.

"Okay," Lily said, pacing the floor of her dormitories, "we're going to need a band, some of those magical fairy lights, a cleaning staff, some paper hearts, glittery décor—"

"Lily, we get the point," Emma interrupted her, rolling her eyes. "Why don't you just get James to help you, instead of ranting to us?"

"Yeah," Alice agreed with a sly smile, "I'm sure he'd be a much bigger help."

Lily snorted. "You're kidding, right? Responsible, planning, and James do not go in the same sentence unless accompanied by a negative."

"Drama queen," Emma teased. She glanced sideways at her best friend. "Seriously, though, it's a dance, and Potter's nothing if not a party hound."

Lily hesitated. She hated to admit it, but her friends were right. James would probably have a lot of great ideas. On the other hand, it would mean being civil to him and spending time planning it out…

_Which, you know, you actually want to do_, a little voice inside of her head said.

_No I don't! _Lily retorted. _I hate James Potter!_

_Come on, Lily, you know you want to work with him. And who knows, you might get another kiss? You know you want to…_

"I DO NOT!" Lily screamed, and then realized that Emma and Alice were giving her strange looks. She gulped. "Did I say that out loud?"

Emma nodded. "Sounds to me like someone fancies a certain—" she began, but Lily threw a pillow at her before she could finish.

Alice wisely said nothing, but her brown eyes twinkled, a gesture Lily didn't miss. Lily groaned inwardly. She _had _to stop arguing with herself.

"Fine, fine," Lily muttered, heading for the door. "I'll go talk to Potter."

James was, not surprisingly, down at the Quidditch pitch, practicing. Lily stood in the shadows for a minute, watching him dip and turn on his broom, maneuvering tricky moves that she wouldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams. A small smile worked itself onto her lips.

It wasn't long before James noticed her, though. "Lily!" he cried, immediately swooping down and dismounting. He stood at ease, his hair still ruffled from the wind. "What can I do for you, Lilyflower?"

"Don't call me that," Lily said exasperatedly.

"Okay, Lilypad," James replied innocently.

Lily swatted him, then remembered that she was there to plead his help. She gritted her teeth. "James, I need your," she began, then stopped. This was harder than she had thought.

James was wearing a smug smile on his face. "Go on, Lily," he smirked, grinning at her.

Lily glared at him. "I need your…" she took a deep breath. "Help," she finished. There.

James' grin was so wide, it didn't seem as though his face could hold it. "Of course, Lily," he answered smoothly.

"You're going to help me plan the Cupid Ball," Lily said shortly. She brushed a strand of auburn hair that had crept its way out of her messy bun. "Friday at eight, then. Meet me in the library."

"Oh my gosh!" a familiar voice said. Lily and James both turned.

Rhia hurried up to the two, smiling broadly. "I couldn't help but overhear," she began.

"Yeah, I'm sure you couldn't," Lily muttered, itching to grab her wand and perform a jinx.

"You guys wouldn't be thinking of planning a ball without me, would you now?" Rhia cooed, turning to James and ignoring Lily completely.

James looked flustered. "Well…I…er…this is kind of a Heads thing," he finished lamely. Lily rolled her eyes.

Rhia waved her hand. "You don't know how lucky you are to have my help," she assured him, still smiling. "Friday at eight, then!" With another wave, Rhia skipped away.

Lily groaned and put her head in her hands. James still looked a little bewildered, but shrugged.

"It's just one extra person," he said, trying to reassure Lily.

Lily lifted her head. "Oh yeah," she said darkly. "Just one extra person."

"…and she butted in just like that?" Emma asked in disbelief, later that night. Lily nodded.

"That was rude," Alice remarked.

Lily smothered her head in a pillow. "Just think, I'll have to work with her," she said in a muffled voice, "and watch her flirting with James for the next two weeks!"

Emma pondered thoughtfully. "You know," she said, "what if Rhia did such a bad job that McGonagall kicked her off?"

"Are teachers allowed to do that?" Lily asked in disbelief.

Alice nodded. "Sure they are," she answered confidently. "Remember that one time James and Sirius convinced Dumbledore to let them plan the graduation ceremony?"

Lily winced. "Oh yeah…"

Emma laughed. "As I remember it, McGonagall found out about that dancing hippo they wanted to have, and threw a fit."

"And kicked them off," Alice finished, nodding. She smiled approvingly. "You know, Emma, that's not a bad idea."

"Course it isn't," Emma replied smugly. "I'll have Rhia making so many mistakes, McGonagall will be turning purple."

Lily shuddered. "Just make sure James and I don't get blamed in any way," she warned.

"Oh, you won't," Emma answered self-assuredly. "Trust me."

To Lily's surprise, James was actually on time Friday night, with a quill and parchment, clearly ready to do work. She masked her astonishment and set him to work ordering food.

Rhia arrived at half past eight, dressed in a short miniskirt and a dark red tube top that was she tugged down at every opportunity. Lily made a face and set her to work ordering entertainment.

Halfway through their work, an snowy white owl flew in and dropped a roll of parchment on the table. Having delivered its parcel, the owl hooted and flew off as quickly as it had come.

Lily eyed the parchment with a frown. "What in the world could that be?" she wondered aloud.

James shrugged. "Beats me."

Lily unrolled the parchment and read,

"Thank you for ordering Mister Monty's Magic Circus for February 18th. We have confirmed your order of rhinos, hippos, giraffes, and pixies. Again, thank you for your patronage, Miss Rhianna.

Sincerely, Mister Monty."

Lily tried hard not to smile as Rhia stared in horror at the parchment. "I-I didn't do that!" the older girl spluttered in rage, grabbing the letter and trying to rip it up. Unfortunately for her, the pieces immediately repaired themselves.

James looked at the parchment in disgust. "I think I had this at my birthday party when I was five."

Professor McGonagall chose that moment to walk in. When she saw the letter and Mister Monty's letterhead, her eyes narrowed. "What is the meaning of all this?" she demanded.

James shrugged. "I think Rhia ordered a circus for the dance."

"Miss Elksworth," McGonagall turned to her. "This is an important task. If you are not going to take this seriously, then please do not come."

Rhia rolled her eyes. "Yes, Professor," she replied dutifully, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Lily covered a smirk with her hand. Knowing Emma, it probably would.

**A/N: Mwahahaha…I may just continue on this vein. Anyways, oh my gosh, over 300 reviews!!! I love you all!!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	20. Plan 63

**A/N: Is this story getting too long and boring, you guys? Oh well. Enjoy the chappie!**

"So, who are you going to the dance with?" Remus asked James conversationally one night.

Sirius overheard him and immediately launched into an answer. "Well, I can't choose between Sara, Denise, Brooke, Diana, Alice, Kaitie, Alanna, Beth, Claire, Nicole, Lea, Hannah, and Genevieve," he answered.

James gaped at him, speechless for once in his life.

Remus finally answered, shaking his head. "I don't even want to know," he told Sirius, as his friend opened his mouth to say more. Sirius pouted and walked away, looking grumpy.

"Anyways, James," Remus continued as if there had been no interruption, "who're you going with?"

James gave him a look. "I know who I _want _to go with."

Remus angled his head. "Ah." He was silent, not knowing what to say.

"She still thinks I'm a git," James sighed, remembering those emerald eyes.

"Well, not as much as she did before," Remus supplied helpfully. "And you still have three dates left, you know. Why don't you do something romantic?"

James scowled, remembering the last attempted date. "I did. And it was perfect till Rhia came in."

Remus rubbed the side of his neck. "There's something weird about that girl."

"There's a lot of things weird about Rhia," James snorted, helping himself to a Chocolate Frog from Sirius' stash. "She keeps turning up at odd places when I'm there: the Quidditch pitch, the Potions dungeon…I'm telling you, Remus, stay away from her while you can."

"Still, there's no arguing that she's definitely beautiful," Remus reflected pensively. "Seems like she could be a model or something."

James nodded. "Yeah, I guess," he admitted reluctantly.

"I've got an idea!" Sirius said, bouncing back in the room.

Remus turned, startled. "Have you been eavesdropping all this time?" he asked severely.

Sirius nodded and grinned. "Yup!" When Remus rolled his eyes, Sirius added, "I'm here to liven up Prongs' social life a little and help him get the girl of his dreams."

James eyed him warily. "What exactly did you have in mind, Padfoot?"

Sirius grinned. "Go out with Rhia!"

Both boys choked and James nearly strangled on his Chocolate Frog. "W-_what_ did you say?" he demanded.

"I'm in shock," added Remus.

Sirius shrugged. "It's Plan 63, Prongsie. Go-out-with-an-amazingly-hot-girl-until-the-girl-of-your-dreams-gets-jealous-and-falls-all-over-you."

Remus groaned. "Somehow I had a feeling you were going to say that."

Sirius gave him an indignant look. "No need to worry, Moony," he replied. "This plan has been empirically tested and proved to be 100 safe."

Remus coughed. "Correction: _now _I'm in shock. Who knew 'empirically' was in your vocabulary, Sirius?"

Sirius looked confused. "What's a vocabulary?"

"You guys!" James glared at both of them. "Focus, please!" He turned to Sirius. "Are you sure this is gonna work?"

Sirius flashed his trademark confident grin. "Of course I am."

Meanwhile, the planning for the ball was going less-than-smoothly, by Lily's standards anyways. She had to hand it to James, he was doing a great job with his work. Rhia, on the other hand…

"Rhia, I told you not to order more than 800 liters of soda, for the time being," Lily told her exasperatedly.

Rhia stared at the order sheet, which read "3000 LITERS." She glared at Lily. "Who made you in charge of all this?" she demanded nastily.

Lily's patience shattered. "I did!" she snapped. "Along with all of the other teachers in this school, when I was made Head Girl!"

Rhia tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned back to her work. "Whatever."

Lily gritted her teeth and looked over at James, who was still working quietly. Her face relaxed as she looked at him, absorbed in filling out yet another order form. His usually messy hair fell across his eyes, and he reached up to absently brush it away with a gentle hand. His eyes were direct and deep, a beautiful hazel color Lily had only seen in paintings…

_What are you thinking, Lily? Get a grip on yourself!_

James noticed Lily staring at him out of the corner of his eye and felt his heart race. He was so close! Maybe Sirius was right, and Plan 63 was what he needed to get to Lily. He smiled determinedly. If that would get him Lily, then he would do it. No matter what it took.

As the clock struck ten, Lily finally began to clean up. "Good job tonight," she told them, looking at James.

Rhia smiled. "Yeah, good job, James," she replied, completely ignoring Lily. Lily rolled her eyes and began gathering her things.

"Um, you go ahead, Lily," James said, as Lily turned to him expectantly. "I need to do something first."

Lily blinked, but nodded. "Okay. Good night, James," she said, and turned to go.

James turned to Rhia, who was stuffing a bunch of delicate flowers into a box, and winced. "Hey, Rhia?"

Rhia turned immediately, giving him a bright smile. "Yeah?"

James looked at her for a minute, and realized he didn't really feel anything. He took a deep breath. "Want to go broom riding tomorrow morning?"

Rhia's eyes widened, but then she quickly regained her composure. "Of course!" she replied, running over to James to give him a big hug. James returned the embrace stiffly.

Rhia was practically bubbling over with excitement. "—is going to be so fabulous!" James heard. He nodded and murmured something appropriate back. But all he could see in his mind's eye was Lily.

**A/N: Don't hate me for this, please! –cowers- Plan 63 WILL get James Lily, just not in the way he thinks. I had to add some conflict in there to put a little more spice in the story. It will be LJ, I promise!!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	21. Feral Ghosts and Azkaban

**A/N: Sooo…that was a pretty fast update, right? Meaning I'm absolved in at least five reviewer's eyes? Lol. Enjoy! (P.S. Lame chapter title, I know. Sorry you guys!)**

The next morning, Lily woke up early, with a nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't quite figure out. Wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, Lily sat on the windowseat of their dorm and gazed out at the rising sun.

Their window had a perfect view of the Quidditch pitch, and, beyond that, the dark brush of the Forbidden Forest. Lily looked at the wide field fondly, remembering the broom ride James had taken her on.

Sure, Rhia had spoiled that last little bit, but she would never forget the exhilarating thrill of flying with James in front of her, her face pressed into his back. It had been their special moment.

Emma yawned and sat up, glancing at Lily. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked sympathetically.

Lily nodded. "I keep thinking about James," she confessed. "I thought he was such a…a bigheaded jerk, but I guess he isn't."

Emma turned away to hide her smile. Lily was falling in love and she didn't even know it! She grabbed a blanket and took a seat next to Lily.

"Well, why don't you ask him to the dance, then?" Emma suggested, the picture of innocence.

Lily, fortunately, didn't notice. "Maybe I will," she agreed with a smile. She watched two figures make their way out to the Quidditch pitch.

"Blimey, those Quidditch players sure are dedicated," Lily commented, watching as they walked over to the broom shed. "6:30 am morning practice!"

Emma frowned. "That's James, isn't it?"

Lily opened the window a little to peer out. "Yeah, I think so. Who's the other person? Is it Adrianna, the other Chaser?"

Emma's heart sank. She knew everyone on the Quidditch team well, and that definitely wasn't Adrianna. _Please don't be who I think it is_, she thought, crossing her fingers.

"Who is that?" a frustrated Lily asked, watching as the pair took out two brooms from the shed.

Emma gulped, not wanting to answer.

At that moment, the sound of a high, girly laugh floated up to their ears, and Lily froze. "That isn't…it can't be…" she whispered, gripping the edge of the window.

Emma groaned silently and gently pried Lily's freezing fingers from the window. "Come on, Lily."

Numbly, Lily stood up and walked over to the edge of her bed. She felt as though someone had taken a knife and stabbed her heart, to the point where she couldn't feel anything anymore but a dull, aching pain.

"If I could get a hold of James Potter right now," Emma muttered, flexing her fingers longingly. She glanced tenderly at Lily. "How do you feel, Lils?"

"I…must be dreaming," Lily answered quietly, not wanting to believe it. She didn't realize how much these…bet dates had meant to her until she saw him with Rhia. And of all people! It had to be Rhia?

Emma wanted to say something to clear James' name, but she couldn't think of a single reason in Lily's favor. It seemed like James Potter really was the heartless, teasing player it was rumored he was.

The morning air was cold, but James didn't mind that. What he did mind was the fact that Rhia wouldn't stop talking—or giggling. He forced himself to respond, telling himself it was all for Lily.

"James, we make the perfect couple," Rhia said fondly, expertly kicking her broom into the air.

"Er…" was all James could say.

"I'm glad you finally got over Lily," Rhia continued, as if he had just said the most charming thing in the world. "I knew it would happen eventually!"

That last sentence jolted James out of his reverie. She thought…what? "Oh no, Rhia, you have it all wrong…" he began.

Rhia looked down. "Oh, look! There she is now."

_What?!?! _James looked down and sure enough, a small figure with flaming red hair and brilliant green eyes was walking across the Quidditch pitch. His stomach did a somersault. Blast Sirius! was all he could think of.

Lily shielded her eyes from the morning sun as she walked slowly across the grass. Now that she was actually here, she didn't know what to say. Her trademark tirade at Potter didn't seem to fit now.

James dismounted and walked across the field. "Er…good morning, Lily," he said awkwardly, trying to ignore Rhia behind him.

Lily swallowed and gave him a small smile. "I hope you guys are happy," she said, her voice stronger than she felt.

James' eyes widened. "Lily," he began, but she was already walking away back into the castle.

Rhia threw him a triumphant smile. "What a perfect way to start off this new relationship," she said.

"…he did _what_?" Alice exclaimed, staring at Lily. Lily nodded.

Remus came in, saw the three girls, and bit his lip. "He didn't actually do it, did he?" he asked, stroking Lily's hair in a brotherly way.

Lily raised her head. "You knew?" she asked in disbelief.

Remus nodded. "It was Sirius' idea for him to go out with Rhia to make you jealous."

Emma narrowed her eyes. "I'll be having a few words with him, then," she muttered angrily.

Sirius ambled in, leisurely stretching. "What's got all your wands in a knot?" he asked, upon seeing four angry and one dejected face.

"Thanks to you, James is now stuck with a sharp-clawed girlfriend," Emma said through gritted teeth.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Ouch, Lily. Did you hear that? I don't think you're sharp-clawed."

Remus smacked him. "Not Lily! Rhia!"

"Oh," Sirius sat down, frowning. "Did it not work?" he asked, glancing at Lily.

Lily sat up and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "I think I understand it now. But what in the world made you give such horrible advice to James?"

Sirius nibbled on a finger. "Um…"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Oh, nevermind that," she said impatiently, "the question is, what are we going to do about it?"

"He could always break up with her," suggested Sirius sensibly.

Alice snorted. "Obviously you don't know Rhia too well. She's very…er…possessive."

"Poor Jamesie-poo," Sirius said sadly, "what have we gotten him into?"

"_We_?" Remus, Alice, Emma, and Lily asked in unison.

Sirius raised his hands. "Fine, fine. _The plan_ got him into. Happy now?"

Lily gave a small laugh. "I wish Rhia would just…disappear. Or transfer to another school."

"Or be ripped up by a feral ghost," Alice said thoughtfully.

"Or be thrown in Azkaban," added Emma with a sly smile.

Remus coughed. "Ahem?" They all laughed, breaking the tension a little. Emma leaned over to wrap an arm around Lily's shoulders.

"Don't you worry, Lily," she told her friend. "We'll get James back. Just wait and see."

**A/N: Was that a little better, you Rhia-haters? Lol. :D I WAS going to prolong the torture and have James go out with Rhia for a little while but decided not to. There will be some interesting plots, it just won't be much in Rhia's favor anymore. :D Review!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	22. Amortentia

**A/N: Hmmmm...I can see the end of this fic in sight...**

The preparations for the dance were almost done, and Lily, looking over them anxiously, decided that they were pretty good for only two week's worth of work.

Rhia, sitting obnoxiously close to James, gave a huge exaggerated sigh. "I'm tired," she complained, grabbing James' arm. "Walk me up to the common room, okay?"

James edged away. "Er…I still have work to do," he said, casting a helpless look at Lily, who rolled her eyes and turned away.

Rhia sat up. "So between work and your girlfriend, you choose work?" she demanded, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Yes…er…I mean, no," James said feebly, and with a sigh, stood up. Suddenly, Rhia was all smiles again. They walked out of the room, leaving Lily alone to clean up.

"You okay, Lily?" Sirius and Emma walked in, hand in hand. Lily gave them a tired smile.

"I'm fine," she replied, waving her wand. "Scourgify!" Immediately, the glue and quill marks on the table disappeared.

"So, we've been thinking," Emma began, exchanging a look with Sirius, "about this whole James/Rhia thing."

Lily didn't look up. "Okay."

Sirius grinned at her. "It's all right, Lily. This one was Emma's idea."

Lily chuckled and straightened. "All right. What is it?"

"It's quite simple, really," Emma answered. "All we have to do is get Rhia to fall _out _of love with James, by getting her interested in someone else."

Lily snorted. "What, are you going to sacrifice Sirius?" she asked jokingly. Sirius whimpered and began to transform into a dog, thought better of it, and resumed his human form. Lily rolled her eyes.

"No, we're not going to sacrifice Sirius," Emma said impatiently. "Come on, Lily. Think about it. Getting Rhia to fall in love with a person of our choice…"

Lily's eyes suddenly widened. "Amortentia!"

"Ding ding ding!" Sirius said, grinning again now that he knew Lily got the idea. "Amortentia. Useful little potion."

Lily shook her head and crossed her arms. "I don't know, you guys," she said. "It's illegal to brew it, you know. We could get into a lot of trouble."

"Hey!" Sirius cried indignantly. "You're with a Marauder, here. If it's one thing we know how to do, it's to stay out of trouble."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Oh, so the detention with McGonagall last week was completely voluntary?"

"Okay, okay, you two," Emma interrupted, before Sirius could reply. "Cut it out. It's not that big of a deal, Lily," she added with a persuasive smile.

Lily still looked unconvinced. "Where in Merlin's mansion are you going to get the ingredients?" she asked, and began ticking off her fingers. "We need unicorn hair, Hawthorne rose juice, liquid gold extract…and that's just a few," she finished, frowning.

"Well, that's where your part comes in," Emma said slyly. "Old Sluggy loves you, you know. Just pretend you need the ingredients for another project."

"Nothing else that I know of uses Hawthorne rose juice," Lily countered.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm sure _something _does," she answered.

Lily bit her lip. "I guess I could find something," she admitted, and took a deep breath. "Are you sure this will work?"

"Of course it'll work!" Emma said confidently. "And besides, we won't do anything too horrible," she added reluctantly, and muttered under her breath, "by my standards."

"What was that?" asked Lily absently, using her wand to put the desks back in order.

Emma immediately fixed a bright smile on her face. "Nothing!"

When James and Rhia finally got back to the common room, Rhia showed no signs of wanting to go up to the dorm. Instead, she took a seat on the sofa and smiled at James.

"So, Rhia, I have a favor to ask of you," James began, sitting on the opposite sofa. Now was as good a time as any.

Rhia gave him a coy smile. "Ask away, James."

James swallowed. "You know the Cupid Ball that's coming up, right?" he began.

Rhia rolled her eyes. "Of course, James. What do you think I am, stupid?"

James looked taken aback. "Er…sorry. Well anyways," he resumed, fingers playing with the edge of the sofa fabric nervously, "I was wondering if you'd like to go with…oh, I don't know, Amos Diggory or something, because I want to ask Lily."

Rhia's nostrils flared, and suddenly she looked very ugly. "Amos Diggory?" she hissed slowly.

James bit his lip, hard. "Er…well, anybody else is fine, too," he said, trying to keep calm. He'd always tried to act like a gentleman around Rhia, because, even as annoying as she was, she still deserved some semblance of respect. Right?

Suddenly, Rhia laughed and sat back. "Oh, I get it," she said, looking amused. "This is all a joke to prove my dedication for you."

Whatever James had been expecting, that was definitely not it. He opened his mouth, his mind groping for a response.

Rhia laughed and stood up, walking over to take a seat right next to James. She lifted her hand and ran it down his broad, Quidditch-toned chest. "That was a very sweet idea," she said in a sultry voice.

James shivered. "It wasn't—" he began, but suddenly found his words muffled by Rhia's lips on his.

It was probably the worst kiss of his life. Rhia's lips were, admittedly, full and well formed, but her kiss was cold and completely without feeling. James saw no sparks, no fireworks, no speeding up of his heart. It was like kissing a rigid block of ice.

Rhia finally drew away and sat back, completely satisfied. She didn't wait for a response from James, but merely waved her hand and walked up the stairs.

James waited for her footsteps to fade away, and then shuddered, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his robe. How had something so right, designed to get him Lily, ended up leaving him with Rhia?

**A/N: So, that was sort of a compromise. A good thing—Sirius and Emma's plan—with a bad thing—Rhia's…ickyness. I'm excited to see how they use the Amortentia, aren't you?**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	23. Broomsticks and Slime

**A/N: Sooo...this is a litttttle bit of a tangent off the original storyplot, but it was cute and I had a sudden burning desire to write fluff. :D Enjoy!**

"Lily, Lily, wake up!" Emma's voice sounded in Lily's ears. Lily rolled over, moaning.

"Wha' time isit?" she demanded groggily, burying her face in her pillow.

There was a guilty pause. "Er…it's 6:30," Emma said sheepishly, and the shaking ceased for a minute. "But still, Lily, you have to get up!"

Lily rubbed her eyes. "Let me get this straight," she growled, "you woke me up at 6:30 on a Saturday morning?"

Emma blinked. "I guess so."

Alice turned her head in Emma's direction. "You woke me up too, Emma. There better be a good reason for this."

"There is!" Emma insisted. "I was going to wake you up in a second, Alice," she added, "so it's just as well that you're awake anyways."

"Oh, joy," Alice said sarcastically. "Who died?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Nobody, silly," she said. "We're going shopping!"

Both Alice and Lily sat up at the same time. "You woke me up to go shopping?" they demanded simultaneously.

Emma refused to look repentant. "Yes," she said firmly, "you'll thank me for this when the dance comes and you actually have something decent to wear."

"What stores are open at 6:30 in the morning?" Lily pointed out.

Emma grinned. "Lots," she countered. "We're not going to Hogsmeade, if that's what you're wondering. In Diagon Alley, stores open early."

"Whoa, there," Alice said, pulling the blankets up to her chin again. "We're not allowed to go to London. And besides, how are we going to get there?"

Emma's eyes sparkled. "I know it's against the rules, but desperate times call for desperate measures," she justified quickly.

"What's the desperate situation?" grumbled Lily.

"The fact that Hogsmeade only has two dress robe shops, of course," Emma answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "We'll be back before anyone knows we've been gone."

Alice groaned. "Who else is going?" she sighed, groping for her slippers.

"Sirius, James, and Remus," Emma answered. She grinned. "It's all settled. I told Sirius to do whatever he wanted to make them wake up."

Lily laughed. The fact that they were going to spend a day together, without Rhia's interference, made her spirits rise. "Well, let's go then!"

The three girls quickly got dressed and headed down to the common room, which was virtually empty. Lily stood in front of the fire, enjoying the warmth, while brushing out her damp red hair.

"Good morning, girls," Sirius said, appearing in the stairway. "We're all prettied up and ready to go!" He bounded down the stairs.

James and Remus walked behind him, looking less enthusiastic. Alice frowned and walked over to them. "Why is there green slime in your hair?" she asked, reaching up to brush something off of Remus' sandy brown hair. "Ugh."

Remus sighed. "Oh, is there still some left?" he asked, running his hand through his hair.

"To answer your question," James said, glowering at Sirius, "Padfoot decided to use a more…unusual method of waking us up."

Emma looked wary. "Like what?"

"Like taking buckets of Hagrid's premium flobberworm slime and dumping it on our heads," Remus answered dryly.

Sirius held out his hands in a gesture of innocence. "You told me whatever I wanted!" he told Emma, who was glaring at him.

Alice rolled her eyes. "Right. Can we leave please, before Rhi—I mean, some nosy git comes and finds us here?"

Lily glanced at her and smiled. "We should be going," she agreed, and then paused. "How exactly are we getting to London, again?"

Fifteen minutes later, all six of them were up in the dewy morning sky, flying at a steady pace past the clouds. Lily sat behind James, Emma sat with Sirius, and Alice sat with Remus.

"How long will it take, exactly?" Lily shouted over the whistling of the air. She shivered a little and drew her cloak tighter around her shoulders.

"An hour or two, if we keep up this pace," James shouted back, grinning. Nothing could spoil his mood now that he was in the sky with Lily. "So I guess this is our fifth date, Lily."

Lily grinned back. "I guess so." This was one date Rhia couldn't ruin, no matter how hard she tried.

Once in Diagon Alley, the group strolled leisurely through the various shops and stores, taking their time.

"Are you sure no one will realize we're gone?" Lily asked anxiously, glancing at Alice and Emma.

"Oh, don't worry so much," Emma replied, eyeing a dark blue dress with interest. "Dippet'll never know we're gone."

By mid afternoon, everyone had found dress robes except for Lily. Alice had chosen a soft blue gown that seemed to reflect her quiet and kind personality, and Emma had found a fiery red dress that accentuated her brown hair, and James, Sirius, and Remus all had matching dark outfits.

"Who knew you were so picky, Lily?" Alice teased as she carefully folded up her own dress. "We must've been through about a million shops already."

Lily sighed. "Sorry, you guys," she apologized. "I'll probably end up going in those old brown dress robes from second year."

Sirius gagged. "You don't mean…"

"The ones James and Sirius spilled prune juice all over?" Remus finished with an amused smile.

Lily scowled at him. "Yes."

"One more shop," Emma coaxed, dragging Lily, Alice, and three grumbling boys into a store.

The store was dimly lit with warm honey brown lights, and dresses of every color and design were displayed on the walls that seemed to have no end.

Alice gasped. "Wow," she managed to say.

A tall, thin lady came forward to greet them. "Welcome," she said, looking the group over. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Er, we're just looking, thanks," Emma answered, not taking her eyes off of the walls.

The lady smiled. "Very well then. Let me know if you need any help."

Lily began to look through the dress robes, amazed despite herself. Every single one seemed to have a unique color and character. She would've gladly worn any of them.

"Lily, look at this!" Alice pointed to a shimmery green dress quietly displayed behind a huge cocktail purple one.

Lily walked over to get a closer look. The dress was slightly glittery and draping, with two thin silk spaghetti straps and a small emerald that sparkled near the waist.

"It's gorgeous," Lily breathed, and then hesitated. "But it's probably way too expensive."

"How much can you afford?" the quiet voice of the storekeeper made them turn around.

Lily paused, blushing. "I can't spend more than fifty galleons," she murmured.

The storekeeper seemed to smile. "This is forty five."

"Perfect!" Lily exclaimed, hardly believing her ears. "I'll take it!"

By this time, it was nearly dark, so Lily quickly paid and they headed back for Hogwarts. Lily breathed a sigh of contentment, her arms wrapped securely around James' waist. Mmmmm. Hazelnut.

"I'd say this has been a rather successful date, don't you?" James asked with a smile.

Lily looked up into his dark eyes. "Yeah," she whispered, never wanting to let go. She wanted to stay up there, in the sky, with James forever, instead of landing back to the world of reality and flirting girls and…Rhia.

"It'll all work out, Lily," Emma murmured, as though hearing Lily's thoughts.

Lily gave her a small smile. "Oh, I know," she said, a jolt of excitement running through her veins. After all, the Amortentia was almost done…

**A/N: Hee hee, pure plotless chappie. Next chapter…shall be the demise of Rhia (I think so, anyways…)**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	24. Cherry Tart

**A/N: Okay, okay, everyone has permission to kill me. Sort of. Sorry to all my loyal readers for the really really long hiatus!! I've been caught up with school…and debate…and life…but those aren't excuses. –hides in a corner—Forgive me, please? Here's a pretty long chapter to make up! And I'll try to update more often now.**

Lily wiped a strand of hair from her forehead, wrinkling her nose for the umpteenth time at the sickly sweet smell that rose up from the cauldron.

Alice made a face. "Is it almost done?" she asked, drawing a little closer to look at the bubbling gold potion.

Lily glanced over at the spell book again. "Blimey, the end is seriously complicated," she said, coughing a little and waving the fumes away from her face. "Two stirs counterclockwise, three clockwise, a final drop of fairy elixir, then tilting the cauldron at a 30 degree ang—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Emma interrupted, rolling her eyes. "How long until it's done?"

"Not too long now," Lily promised, as she continued to stir the potion in rhythmic circles.

Alice ran her finger down the page and squinted at the tiny print underneath the list of ingredients. "_And _it takes three days to cool," she groaned, staring at the Amortentia with distaste.

Lily smiled and shook her head. "It'll all be worth it in the end," she promised.

"So, James," Rhia said sweetly, snuggling into him in the Common Room. "Where are you taking me before the ball?"

James grimaced. "We're going to the ball together?" he asked, in more resigned defeat than real astonishment.

Rhia laughed. "Of course, silly!" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why don't you take me to Madame Puddifoot's before the dance?"

James shuddered. "Is that the place with the hearts…and cats…?"

"Don't be so thick, Madame Puddifoot's is darling," Rhia corrected him, waving a hand at a few frightened first years. They squeaked and scurried away.

_I sure wish I could do that_, James thought gloomily, as he watched the little eleven-year-olds disappear from the room.

"James?" Rhia was still looking at him expectantly.

"Yeah," James sighed. "Yeah, we'll go." Rhia flashed him a bright smile and left the room, finally giving him some peace.

It was funny, he thought, staring at her retreating figure. Rhia had seemed so nice and shy her first day here, but since then she had only gotten progressively worse. And now he was in a deep, dark hole, which he couldn't get out of. James groaned.

"We've got to help him, mate," Sirius said to Remus, peeking at James from behind a corner.

Remus hmmed thoughtfully. "I think the girls are up to something," he said. "Where are they, anyways?"

Sirius eyed him curiously. "Something, as in something that will help James?"

Remus nodded. "I'd bet my broomstick on it," he said with certainty.

Sirius made a face at him. "Your broomstick isn't worth two galleons, Moony."

Remus glared at him. "That's not the point," he said haughtily. "Anyways," he added, "let's go find Lily and the girls."

Lily carefully scooped out the little gold liquid left in the potion and bottled it, sealing the top with a cork. She grinned triumphantly at her friends.

"We should go," Alice suggested, casting a look of worry at the walls around them. "We've already been in the Room of Requirement way too long. What if someone comes in?"

"Alice's right," Emma agreed, eyeing the bottle with a smile. "We've got our Amortentia, so let's go."

Lily carefully placed the little bottle in a small, sewn pocket inside her robe and followed her friends out, muttering, "Vanicio!" behind her to magically disappear the cauldron and ingredients.

About halfway down the corridor, they ran into Sirius and Remus. Alice's eyes widened and she moved protectively to shield Lily and the potion she carried.

"What do you want, Black?" Emma demanded, her anxiety making her a little more brusque than usual.

Her boyfriend raised his eyebrows. "So we're back to surnames now, eh Vance?"

Emma relaxed a little. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Looking for you, actually," Remus answered, gesturing to the three girls. "We want to talk to you. About James."

Lily immediately stiffened. Alice squeezed her hand comfortingly, asking in her calm voice, "What are you here for, then?"

"This whole Rhia thing is getting out of control," Sirius said.

"Congratulations, Captain Obvious," Emma said, rolling her eyes at him. She eyed the two boys warily. "So?"

Remus considered it. "We know you guys are up to something," he said, choosing his words carefully.

Alice and Lily exchanged looks. "Should we tell them?" Alice whispered, but quietly so that the boys couldn't hear.

Lily shrugged. "It's up to you guys."

Alice nodded. "I think we ought to," she said, glancing at Emma for confirmation, who gave a slight jerk of the head. "We'll need all the help we can get."

"Fine," Emma sighed.

Remus and Sirius stared at each other blankly. "How do they _do _that?" Sirius muttered. "It's like they have a constant Telepathic Spell going on or something."

"No, it's just female intelligence," Emma informed him smugly. "Anyways…" She explained the potion to the two boys, watching anxiously for their reaction.

Remus was the first to break their stunned silence. "Blimey, that's brilliant!" he said enthusiastically. "When are we doing it?"

"Hush," Alice warned, glancing around. "This has to be a very carefully planned excursion."

Sirius grinned. "Commencing: Operation Cherry Tart."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "Um…Sirius? Does that have a special meaning we're all missing?"

"'Course it does!" Sirius exclaimed indignantly. He sighed, as though explaining something very simple to a group of very dim five-year-olds. "Cherry tarts are sweet, right? And everyone loves them! But after your 34th one, they get really sickly tasting and disgustingly—"

"Okay, okay, point taken," Lily cut him off, but a small smile appeared on her face nevertheless. "Let's get to it, then."

**A/N: Hee hee…so I drew out the suspense a little bit longer. It'll end soon, though…story ideas are welcome! Review please!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	25. Two Fine Gentlemen

**A/N: Wow! Quick update, huh? Haha to make up for all the months and weeks in between…anyways, enjoy!**

"Good morning, Rhia," Emma said with a fake smile. The other girl looked at her suspiciously.

"Er…so, how are you and James getting along?" Emma asked, trying to look interested.

Rhia immediately brightened. "Oh, perfectly!" she said. "You know, it's like we were made in heaven. There's just no other one for me, and I know that there's no one else for him. You see, we…"

Emma tuned her out and glanced behind her, where Lily had the small gold potion tucked securely into the front pocket of her robes. Lily gave a small nod.

"Anyways, Rhia," Emma interrupted, turning to the older girl. "We just want to thank you for how happy you've made James."

Rhia looked surprised. "Why…thank you, Emma," she said, a faint smirk still playing around her lips.

"He means a lot to us," Emma said, sounding sincere, "and we've wanted him to be happy for, oh so long." She clasped her hands in a dramatic movement against her chest.

Rhia practically purred, reveling in the admiration. "I do complete him, don't I?"

Lily walked up casually, smiling pleasantly at Rhia. "We have a present for you guys," she informed her, "in honor of…er…your two and a half week anniversary."

"Really?" Rhia demanded with interest. "What exactly might that be?"

"Come and see," Alice invited with a mysterious smile. The four girls walked out to the lake, Rhia chattering constantly about James' perfection—which, of course, was second only to her own.

Emma spotted Peter first, perched on top of a large, flat grey rock looking out at the rippling waves. She gave a wicked smile.

"Let's sit down here," Lily suggested innocently, taking a spot a few feet away from Peter, who eyed her nervously and inched away.

"So what's this present of mine?" Rhia asked, deliberately stretching out her long legs to crowd out Peter.

Alice produced a golden looking drink in a tall glass, into which Lily had slipped the Amortentia only minutes before. "We made you a passion fruit drink made out of only the finest ingredients."

Rhia wrinkled her nose. "Ew. What is that supposed to be, some hideous Muggle drink?"

"Well—" Lily began indignantly.

"What she means is, it's actually a secret wizarding recipe—" Emma interrupted.

Unfortunately for her, Alice chimed in at the same time, "wizarding mix!"

Rhia looked at the two girls, distrust evident in her eyes.

"It's a recipe mix," Lily finished smoothly, as though there had been no mistake at all. "Very healthy, you know—low on carbs, but so delicious."

Rhia tossed her hair over her shoulder. "That's it?" she asked nastily.

Lily managed a smile. "Well, we certainly have some other things planned for you two tonight," she lied on the spot, hoping she sounded convincing. "This is just the beginning."

Rhia sniffed. "Fine. Give me that." She grabbed the Amortentia/passion fruit drink and took a generous sip.

Lily watched breathlessly, her fingers crossed. Amortentia could be deadly if it wasn't brewed right, and even though she'd taken the utmost caution, there was always chance for error…

Rhia blinked, looking around. Emma gave her a gentle push to turn her towards Peter, but at that moment, the giant squid rose out of the lake, stretching its tentacles leisurely.

Rhia looked swiftly from Peter to the squid and back again, as though unsure. "Oh Merlin," she whispered, her eyes bright.

"What is it, Rhia?" Alice asked eagerly. Emma nudged her. "Ow! I mean, how are you feeling?" she corrected.

Rhia clasped her hands together. "Girls, I've just had the most amazing revelation," she said breathlessly.

Lily, Emma, and Alice all leaned in, but it was Lily who finally spoke. "Really, Rhia? Do tell…"

Rhia gave a dramatic sigh. "The giant squid and Peter are both so perfectly wonderful, I can't choose between them!"

It took all of Lily's willpower to keep from laughing aloud at that instant, but the knowledge that she had to play this charade through to the end restrained her. "Well, they're both such fine gentlemen," she said slyly.

"Don't worry, Rhia, I'm sure both of them would be lucky to have you," Emma said.

Rhia flashed them a self-conceited smile. "I know," she said, and sighed dreamily again. "Well, I must go," Rhia said regretfully. "I have to tell everybody about them so I can decide. Ta ta!" And with that, she walked back into the castle.

The moment Rhia was out of earshot, all three girls cracked and started laughing. Emma was practically red in the face before she managed to stop giggling.

"Wait a second, though," Alice said in between bursts of laughter. "Isn't the giant squid…a girl?"

Lily chuckled. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her," she replied innocently, and gave a happy smile. Now, all she had to do was win back James…

"Do you think it worked?" Remus asked, his fingers playing with some string nervously as he, James, and Sirius sat waiting in the Common Room.

"Of course," Sirius replied confidently. "Come on, Moony. It's Evans, for Merlin's sake!"

"Good point," Remus agreed. He glanced at James, who'd barely said a word through all of this. "Cheer up, mate."

James shrugged. "The ball is tomorrow night," he pointed out. "That's barely enough time to get Lily to go with me even if Rhia somehow vanishes."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "And I thought I was the thick one in this group."

"Hush, here she comes," Remus warned, digging his elbow into Sirius' side.

"James," Rhia said, coming up to him. "You know how lucky you've been, don't you?"

James perked up. "Have been?"

Rhia smiled. "Unfortunately, yes. I've found two men who are absolutely perfect, but I can't decide yet."

Sirius looked at Remus with alarm. "_Two_?" he whispered urgently. "That wasn't supposed to happen!"

"Er…who are they?" asked James, feeling relieved.

"Peter and the giant squid," Rhia said seriously, not noticing Sirius and Remus' choking. James gave them a look.

"Er," James said again. "Congratulations. Does this mean—"

"Don't beg, James," Rhia said imperiously. "Yes, we're over." With a haughty incline of her head, she left, leaving James feeling as though he'd never be unhappy again.

"Poor bloke," Sirius said, shaking his head.

"What do you mean?" James asked indignantly. "I'm the happiest Gryffindor in here!"

"He wasn't talking about you," Remus explained, "he was talking about Peter. And the giant squid," he added as an afterthought.

Sirius rubbed his hands together. "I can't wait to see what Wormtail does."

Remus shook his head. "I don't need that image at all," he informed his friend. "Meanwhile, James, you just have to go sweep Lily off her feet."

James got up with a smile. "I'm two steps ahead of you, Moony."

**A/N: I feel this story coming to an end!! I feel it!! –sad face- oh well. It was fun right? Review please!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


	26. Merlin's Gift To Women

**A/N: The last chapter!! –tear- But a long one at least!**

"Prongsie, it's times like these that I feel necessary to remind you what a boring existence you'd have without me," Sirius began smugly, walking into the dorms.

James looked up. "What's got your ego all pumped up, Sirius?"

Sirius faked surprise. "James! I know you've secretly been begging for days for my help."

James looked confused. "Your help…?"

Sirius gave a long sigh and sat down on his bed. "You. Lily. KABOOM!" he cried, waving his arms around.

A look of comprehension finally came into James' face. "Oh! That! Well, actually, I've got it covered," he said confidently, grinning.

Sirius looked crestfallen. "You have? Without me?"

James crossed his arms. "Come on, Padfoot. You didn't honestly think I had no idea how to sweep Lily off her feet, did you?"

Sirius wagged his finger, looking hopeful again. "But you probably messed it up."

James scowled at him. "When have I ever messed things up with a girl?"

"Well, let's see," Sirius began, patiently ticking off his fingers, "there was that time in third year when you sent Lily exploding valentines, the Butterbeer that turned out to be Firewhisky, oh, and the Giant Squid—"

"Okay, okay, I get it," James cut him off irritably. "What's your point?"

Sirius grinned. "You need an expert like me to double check your work, mate!"

"Fine," James conceded, giving in. After all, it couldn't hurt. It wasn't like Sirius could actually _do _anything, right?

Half an hour later…

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST DID THAT!!" James fumed, turning an alarming shade of purple.

Sirius cowered under James' wrath, whimpering behind Remus. "I didn't mean to!"

Remus stepped calmly in between the two and took a deep breath. "James, what exactly happened?"

James growled menacingly. "I had the garden all set up for us tonight at the ball," he explained, "and _Sirius _didn't watch where his big, fat paws were and trampled all over the flowers!"

"Hey!" cried Sirius indignantly. "I do not have fat paws, you giant-antlered—" but he fell silent at a look from Remus.

"Can it be fixed?" Remus asked kindly, looking at the moody James.

James shook his head gloomily. "I ordered those flowers from a special catalog, and now the garden looks like a mulch patch."

"Well, we know what you have to do," Remus said brightly, trying to cheer up his friend.

"What?" asked James, doodling circles with his quill all over Sirius' Transfiguration homework.

"Find another way to win Lily over tonight," Remus explained. He sat down on the couch in the Common Room and grabbed a quill. "Let's start brainstorming."

Three hours later, they still hadn't come up with a good plan. James had rejected every single idea they'd come up with, dismissing them as cheesy, unrealistic, or clichéd.

"As if the garden idea wasn't clichéd," grumbled Remus, throwing yet another piece of parchment away.

James stood up. "Blimey, it's almost time," he said, glancing out at the dipping sunset. "I'd better go."

Sirius looked up, the picture of repentance. "I'm sorry, James," he said sincerely.

James shrugged at him and offered a smile. "It's okay," he said, sounding more confident than he felt. "I'm Merlin's gift to women, remember? I can wing it."

Meanwhile, in the girls' dorms, Lily was feeling just as nervous. She had already dressed and was sitting on her bed, waiting for Emma and Alice to finish primping.

"Who are you trying to impress, Emma?" Alice teased as her friend grabbed the hairbrush for the fifth time.

Emma glared at her. "Nobody."

Lily smiled, glad to join in the bantering and calm her own nerves. "Admit it, Emma. You're head over heels in love with Sirius."

Emma snorted. "Sirius? I…no way. He's my boyfriend, that's all." In answer, Lily and Alice only exchanged furtive smiles.

"Anyways," Emma said, deftly changing the subject, "the real interest tonight will be to see what James has done for you, Lily."

Lily blushed a deep red. "He won't have done anything."

"I actually want to see what Rhia does for Peter," Alice chimed in, and Lily gave silent thanks. "I heard she actually went out to the lake and rejected the Giant Squid, did you know?"

"I'm sure he was deeply affected," Emma said solemnly, and the three broke out in gales of laughter.

When they reached the Great Hall, which had been specially redecorated for the occasion, Lily hesitated.

"You guys go ahead," she said, edging back a little. "I…er…forgot my wand upstairs."

Emma gave her a strange look. "You're at a ball," she pointed out. "What do you need a—ouch!" she cried, as Alice nudged her with a meaningful look.

Emma's eyes flicked behind Lily for a second and then beamed. "Well, what do I know," she said, and turned with Alice to enter the Great Hall.

Lily turned around, shaking her head at Emma's strange behavior—and almost ran into James. She gave a little gasp, her eyes wide.

"Hi, Lily," James managed to say, astonished that he was still able to speak. She looked amazing.

"Er…hi, James," Lily answered back. Deep breaths, Lily, deep breaths. But her lungs refused to obey, and she cursed silently.

"So," James said, with that adorable crooked smile she loved, "I know it's a little late, but would you like to go to the ball with me?"

Lily looked up with a smile. "I'd love to," she answered.

Nothing special happened until later that evening, unless you count Emma "accidentally" spilling Butterbeer all over Sirius' tux and disappearing with him mysteriously into "that bathroom on the fifth floor that's co-gender, because the great oaf couldn't handle it himself." Lily and Alice grinned at each other across the room as the couple left.

It was fun dancing with James, Lily had to admit, and the atmosphere was comfortable. She felt a little disappointed that there wasn't a magical romantic teddy bear that appeared or something, but that was okay, right? After all, she and James were just friends.

"It's almost midnight," James commented pleasantly, glancing out of the large French doors at the end of the Great Hall.

"Yeah," Lily responded, wishing she had something cleverer to say. Where was all of her wit now, when she needed it?!

"It's kind of hot in here, d'you…"

"Sure," Lily agreed, glad of an excuse to avoid Alice's curious stares. They made their way through the crowd out to the patio.

The night air was a little cold, and Lily shivered slightly, unwilling to show any signs of discomfort. But nothing missed James' eye.

"Are you cold?" he asked, moving closer.

Lily found that she couldn't breathe. "A-a little bit," she said breathlessly, hardly daring to blink.

And then suddenly James' arms were around her shoulders, and she was leaning into him, his Quidditch-toned chest that smelled like a mixture of honey and lemon and chamomile. Lily wrapped her arms around his waist, never wanting to let go.

"I actually did have something amazing planned, but Sirius ruined it," James said quietly with a little laugh.

Lily smiled up at him. "It's okay. This is perfect."

Suddenly, the sky was illuminated by a thousand tiny pinpricks of light, startling both Lily and James.

"Did you—" they asked in unison, and then laughed.

"It wasn't me," Lily said, staring up at the beautiful little faeries that danced like stars.

"Me neither," James said, a frown creasing his brow. "Who was it, then?"

But neither of them got an answer. Then Lily was looking up into James' hazel eyes, and he was staring down into her beautiful green ones, and everything was gone except for them. Their lips met in a gentle kiss, feathery-soft but tender like the caress of a quiet breeze.

Above them, seated on the roof that curved to give a perfect view of the scene below, sat Emma, Sirius, Alice, and Remus. Emma turned to Sirius with a mischievous smile.

"Guess you lost the bet, Sirius," she said triumphantly, holding out her palm. Sirius grumbled and dropped twenty galleons into her hand.

Alice gave them both puzzled looks. "What was the bet?" she asked curiously.

"Guess you'll never know," Emma said mysteriously, as she gave Sirius a quick kiss. Alice rolled her eyes.

"Finally," Remus said, watching Lily and James still locked in a heated kiss. "Finally."

**A/N: Ugh, sorry for the slightly awkward ending. Well, there you go, the story is commpleeeete! It's been so much fun writing for you guys. Thanks!**

**ily,**

**Jo**


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